Frankenau Wastewater Treatment Plant, Hessen, Germany - Advanced Treatment, Now Closed

The Frankenau wastewater treatment plant is located in the town of Frankenau, in the Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg district of Hessen, Germany. It served a small population of approximately 1,717 people before its closure. The plant was designed with a capacity of 4,000 cubic meters per day and discharged an average volume of 825.33 cubic meters per day. As an advanced treatment facility, Frankenau provided a higher level of pollutant removal than the secondary treatment standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. The directive mandates secondary treatment for populations between 2,000 and 10,000, but advanced treatment is often implemented in sensitive areas or to meet specific local water quality goals. The plant's treated effluent was discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Eder River, a tributary of the Fulda River, and then into the Weser River system. The Weser flows into the North Sea. The region is characterized by forested hills and agricultural land, and the receiving waters support diverse aquatic life and are used for recreation and drinking water supply downstream.

The Frankenau plant discharged into the Eder River basin, part of the Weser River system that flows into the North Sea. The watershed supports mixed forest and agricultural land, with the Eder providing habitat for fish species such as brown trout and grayling. Downstream water bodies are used for recreation and as a drinking water source, making nutrient and pollutant control important for ecological and human health.