Overview
Bibra wastewater treatment plant in Thüringen, Germany, serves 1,767 people with secondary treatment. The plant is now closed, having had a designed capacity of 3,500 m³/day and a discharge volume of 447.19 m³/day.
The Bibra wastewater treatment plant is located in the municipality of Bibra, within the Grabfeld region of Thüringen, Germany. It served a population of approximately 1,767 people, classifying it as a small agglomeration under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). The plant is now closed. As a secondary treatment facility, Bibra met the minimum requirements set by the EU UWWTD for inland plants serving agglomerations of this size. The plant had a designed capacity of 3,500 m³/day and a reported discharge volume of 447.19 m³/day. German wastewater treatment plants are regulated under the national Water Resources Act (Wasserhaushaltsgesetz) and the Wastewater Ordinance (Abwasserverordnung), which implement EU directives. The plant's treated effluent was discharged into a local water body within the Werra river basin, which ultimately drains into the Weser River and then the North Sea. The Werra basin supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor in central Germany.
Environmental context
The Bibra plant discharged into a tributary of the Werra River, part of the Weser basin that flows to the North Sea. The Werra and its tributaries provide habitat for fish species such as brown trout and grayling, and the river corridor supports riparian ecosystems. The plant's closure may reduce local nutrient loads, benefiting downstream water quality.
Frequently asked questions
The Bibra wastewater treatment plant is located in the town of Bibra, in the Grabfeld region of Thüringen, Germany.
The plant provided secondary treatment and had a designed capacity of 3,500 m³/day, with a reported discharge volume of 447.19 m³/day.
The plant discharged into a local water body within the Werra River basin, which flows into the Weser River and ultimately the North Sea.
As a small agglomeration (under 2,000 population equivalent), the plant was required to provide appropriate treatment under the EU UWWTD. Secondary treatment meets the directive's minimum standards for inland freshwater discharges.
In Germany, small agglomerations typically use secondary treatment, often with mechanical and biological processes. Plants are regulated under the national Wastewater Ordinance, which sets effluent limits based on the receiving water body's sensitivity.
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