UWWTP Zlatograd - Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Zlatograd, Bulgaria

UWWTP Zlatograd is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Zlatograd, Smolyan Province, Bulgaria. The plant serves a population of approximately 7,557 people and has a designed capacity of 10,000 m³/day, with an average discharge volume of 622.68 m³/day. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. As a Bulgarian facility, it operates within the national regulatory framework that transposes the directive, ensuring compliance with effluent quality standards. The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse that eventually flows into the Vacha River, a tributary of the Maritsa River, which drains into the Aegean Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the local watershed and downstream aquatic ecosystems from untreated wastewater pollution.

The plant discharges into a local stream that feeds into the Vacha River, part of the Maritsa River basin. The Maritsa River flows through Bulgaria and Greece before reaching the Aegean Sea. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is important for regional biodiversity. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic loads, mitigating eutrophication risks in downstream water bodies.