COV Tepla Wastewater Treatment Plant, Teplá, Karlovy Vary Region

COV Tepla is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Teplá, a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. The plant serves a population of approximately 1,370 residents and is designed to handle a capacity of 5,000 cubic meters per day, with an average discharge volume of 493.45 m³/day. As a secondary treatment facility, it provides biological treatment to reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids before discharge. Under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), the Czech Republic requires secondary treatment for agglomerations with a population equivalent (PE) between 2,000 and 10,000 discharging into freshwater. Although COV Tepla serves fewer than 2,000 people, it still meets secondary treatment standards, reflecting the national commitment to water quality. The plant's operational context aligns with Czech regulations that transpose EU directives, ensuring compliance with effluent quality standards. The treated effluent from COV Tepla is discharged into a local watercourse, which ultimately drains into the Teplá River, a tributary of the Berounka River. The Berounka flows into the Vltava River, which joins the Elbe River before reaching the North Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of these rivers and the downstream aquatic ecosystems, including fish habitats and biodiversity in the Elbe basin.

COV Tepla discharges treated wastewater into a local stream that feeds into the Teplá River, a tributary of the Berounka River. The Berounka flows into the Vltava River, which joins the Elbe River, ultimately draining into the North Sea. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including fish species such as brown trout and grayling, and provides important ecosystem services. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads and organic pollution, safeguarding the ecological health of these water bodies and their downstream environments.