Calau Wastewater Treatment Plant | Brandenburg, Germany

The Calau wastewater treatment plant is located in the town of Calau, in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district of Brandenburg, Germany. It serves a population of approximately 5,378 people, classifying it as a small to medium agglomeration under German and EU regulations. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). With a design capacity of 8,000 m³/day and an average discharge volume of 589 m³/day, the facility operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variations. The treated effluent is discharged into local water bodies that ultimately drain into the Spree River basin, part of the Elbe River system flowing into the North Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the region's waterways, which support diverse aquatic life and are used for recreation and agriculture.

The plant discharges into the Spree River basin, which flows through the Spreewald biosphere region before joining the Havel and then the Elbe River, eventually reaching the North Sea. The Spreewald is an ecologically sensitive area with extensive wetlands and floodplain forests that support diverse aquatic and bird species. The plant's advanced treatment helps maintain water quality in this important ecosystem.