Overview
Diemelsee _ Giebringhausen wastewater treatment plant in Hessen, Germany, serves 1,214 people with advanced treatment. The plant is currently closed.
Diemelsee _ Giebringhausen is a wastewater treatment plant located in Giebringhausen, a village in the municipality of Diemelsee, Hessen, Germany. The plant serves a population of 1,214 and is classified as a small agglomeration under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). It is situated in a rural, inland area of the Waldeck-Frankenberg district. The plant was designed with a capacity of 2,500 cubic meters per day and provided advanced treatment, which goes beyond the secondary treatment standard required by the EU UWWTD for agglomerations of this size. Advanced treatment typically includes nutrient removal (nitrogen and phosphorus) to protect sensitive water bodies. However, the plant is currently listed as closed, and no operational details are available. The plant's treated effluent likely discharged into a local stream or river within the Weser river basin, as the Diemelsee area drains into the Diemel River, a tributary of the Weser. The Weser flows into the North Sea, making the plant part of a transboundary river system that supports diverse aquatic life and is important for regional water quality.
Environmental context
The plant is located in the Diemelsee region, which drains into the Diemel River, a tributary of the Weser River. The Weser flows through central Germany before reaching the North Sea. The local watershed supports a mix of agricultural and forested areas, and the Diemel River provides habitat for fish and other aquatic species. Advanced treatment at this plant would have helped reduce nutrient loading to the sensitive North Sea ecosystem, which is prone to eutrophication.
Frequently asked questions
The plant is located in Giebringhausen, a village in the municipality of Diemelsee, in the Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg district of Hessen, Germany.
The plant serves a population of 1,214, classifying it as a small agglomeration under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
The plant provides advanced treatment, which includes nutrient removal beyond secondary treatment, typically required for sensitive areas under the EU UWWTD.
Under the EU UWWTD, agglomerations with a population equivalent (PE) between 2,000 and 10,000 generally require secondary treatment. However, this plant, serving 1,214 people, provided advanced treatment, likely due to its discharge into a sensitive water body within the Weser basin.
In Germany, small wastewater treatment plants serving populations under 2,000 often use advanced treatment technologies to meet strict water quality standards, especially in sensitive watersheds. The EU UWWTD requires secondary treatment as a minimum, but many German plants exceed this with nutrient removal.
Nearby plants