COV Hradek u Rokycan - Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Hrádek, Czech Republic

COV Hradek u Rokycan is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Hrádek, a town in the Plzeňský kraj region of the Czech Republic. The facility serves a population of approximately 1,778 residents and is part of the country's wastewater infrastructure managed under national regulations aligned with EU directives. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required for agglomerations of this size under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). It has a designed capacity of 4,000 m³/day and currently discharges an average volume of 558.62 m³/day, indicating operational capacity well below its design limit. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Berounka River and then the Vltava River, a major tributary of the Elbe River. The Elbe flows through Germany into the North Sea, making this plant part of a transboundary river basin with ecological significance for downstream aquatic habitats.

The plant's discharge enters the Berounka River basin, which flows into the Vltava and then the Elbe River, eventually reaching the North Sea. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is an important corridor for migratory fish species. The region's water quality is managed under Czech national regulations and the EU Water Framework Directive, which aims to achieve good ecological status for all water bodies.