STEENWERCK Wastewater Treatment Plant, Steenwerck, Hauts-de-France

The STEENWERCK wastewater treatment plant is located in Steenwerck, a commune in the Nord department of Hauts-de-France, France. It serves a population of approximately 1,435 residents and is part of the municipal wastewater infrastructure managed under French regulations. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. With a designed capacity of 3,500 m³/day and a current discharge volume of 256 m³/day, the facility operates well within its capacity. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that eventually drain into the Lys River, a tributary of the Scheldt River, which flows through Belgium and into the North Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of the Scheldt basin and the downstream marine environment.

The plant's discharge contributes to the Lys River, part of the Scheldt basin, which flows through northern France and Belgium before reaching the North Sea. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor. The secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollution and nutrient loads, protecting downstream water quality and the sensitive coastal ecosystem of the North Sea.