COV Stankov Wastewater Treatment Plant, Staňkov, Plzeňský kraj

COV Stankov is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Staňkov, a town in the Plzeňský kraj region of the Czech Republic. The plant serves a population of approximately 2,513 people, classifying it as a small agglomeration under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). It is situated inland, far from coastal waters, and its operations are subject to Czech national regulations aligned with EU standards. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the minimum required by the EU UWWTD for freshwater discharges from agglomerations of this size. With a designed capacity of 3,800 m³/day and an actual discharge volume of 415.21 m³/day, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variations. Secondary treatment typically involves biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse that eventually drains into the Berounka River, a tributary of the Vltava River, which flows through Prague and joins the Elbe River before reaching the North Sea. This makes the plant part of the Elbe basin, a major European watershed. The plant's performance is crucial for protecting the water quality of the Berounka and downstream ecosystems, including the Vltava and Elbe rivers.

COV Stankov discharges treated wastewater into a local stream that flows into the Berounka River, a key tributary of the Vltava River. The Vltava joins the Elbe River, which ultimately reaches the North Sea. The Berounka River supports diverse aquatic life and is used for recreation and drinking water supply downstream. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads and organic pollution, protecting the ecological health of this inland river system.