Am Erzberg GKA Wiersdorf - Closed Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rhineland-Palatinate

Am Erzberg GKA Wiersdorf is a former wastewater treatment plant located in Wiersdorf, a municipality in the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The plant served a small agglomeration of approximately 1,930 people and was designed with a capacity of 2,800 cubic meters per day. The plant provided advanced treatment, which typically includes nutrient removal beyond secondary treatment. Under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), agglomerations of this size are required to have appropriate collection and treatment systems, with secondary treatment as a minimum. Advanced treatment is often mandated for sensitive areas to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loads. The treated effluent from the plant likely discharged into a local watercourse within the Prüm river basin, which flows into the Sauer River and eventually the Moselle and Rhine rivers. Improving overall treatment efficiency and environmental protection in the region.

The plant is located inland in the Eifel region, part of the Rhine-Moselle watershed. The nearest water bodies are small streams feeding the Prüm River, a tributary of the Sauer, which joins the Moselle and then the Rhine. The area is characterized by low mountain ranges and mixed forest, with sensitive aquatic ecosystems that benefit from advanced treatment to reduce nutrient pollution and protect downstream biodiversity.