Overview
Burgwald _ Ernsthausen wastewater treatment plant in Münchhausen, Hessen, Germany, serves a population of 1,948 with advanced treatment. The plant is now closed.
The Burgwald _ Ernsthausen wastewater treatment plant is located in Münchhausen, within the Landkreis Marburg-Biedenkopf district of Hessen, Germany. It was designed to serve a population of 1,948 and had a designed capacity of 2,300 cubic meters per day, with an average discharge volume of 492.99 cubic meters per day. The plant is currently closed. As a German facility, it operated under the European Union's Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires advanced treatment for sensitive areas. The plant achieved advanced treatment level, indicating it likely employed tertiary processes such as nutrient removal to protect receiving waters. The plant's discharge ultimately flows into the Lahn River basin, which drains into the Rhine River and then the North Sea. The advanced treatment helped minimize nutrient loading and protect downstream aquatic ecosystems in this region of central Germany.
Environmental context
The plant's treated effluent would have entered local waterways within the Lahn River watershed, a tributary of the Rhine River. The Rhine flows through densely populated and industrial areas before reaching the North Sea. Advanced treatment at this plant helped reduce phosphorus and nitrogen loads, mitigating eutrophication risks in downstream rivers and the North Sea coastal zone.
Frequently asked questions
The plant is located at Teichweg 1 in Münchhausen, Landkreis Marburg-Biedenkopf, Hessen, Germany.
The plant served a population of 1,948 people.
The plant provided advanced treatment, which typically includes biological nutrient removal to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus.
Under the EU UWWTD, plants serving agglomerations of this size (under 2,000 population equivalent) are generally required to provide appropriate treatment. Advanced treatment is mandated for discharges into sensitive areas.
The plant's discharge entered the Lahn River basin, part of the Rhine watershed. Advanced treatment helped protect downstream water quality and the North Sea from nutrient pollution.
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