COV Stahlavy Wastewater Treatment Plant, Šťáhlavy, Plzeňský kraj

COV Stahlavy is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Šťáhlavy, a village in the Plzeňský kraj region of the Czech Republic. The plant serves a population of 1,153, classifying it as a small agglomeration under Czech and EU regulations. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for discharges into freshwater bodies from agglomerations of this size. Its designed capacity is 2,000 m³/day, and current discharge volume is 423.45 m³/day, indicating operational headroom. Treated effluent from COV Stahlavy is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Berounka River, a tributary of the Vltava River, which flows through Prague before joining the Elbe River and reaching the North Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the Berounka watershed from nutrient and pathogen pollution.

The plant discharges into the Berounka River basin, which flows into the Vltava River, a major tributary of the Elbe River. The Elbe drains into the North Sea, making this plant part of a transboundary river system. The Berounka supports diverse aquatic life and is used for recreation and drinking water supply downstream. Protecting this watershed from excessive nutrients and pathogens is critical for maintaining water quality in the Elbe estuary and coastal North Sea ecosystems.