Gummersbach Rospe Wastewater Treatment Plant | Gummersbach, Nordrhein-Westfalen

The Gummersbach Rospe wastewater treatment plant is located in Gummersbach, a town in the Oberbergischer Kreis district of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. The facility serves a population of approximately 17,828, placing it in the medium agglomeration category under EU regulations. The plant is situated inland, more than 50 km from the coast, and its operations are governed by German water law, which implements the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). For agglomerations of this size (between 10,000 and 100,000 population equivalent), the EU directive requires at least secondary treatment, with tertiary treatment mandated if the receiving waters are designated as sensitive areas. The plant's treatment process and capacity details are not publicly available in this dataset, but typical German plants of this scale employ biological treatment with nutrient removal to meet stringent effluent standards. The treated wastewater is discharged into the local water system, which ultimately drains into the Agger River, a tributary of the Sieg, which flows into the Rhine River. The Rhine is a major European waterway that empties into the North Sea. The plant plays a crucial role in protecting the water quality of the Agger and downstream rivers, supporting aquatic life and recreational uses in the region.

The plant discharges into the Agger River, which flows into the Sieg and then the Rhine River, eventually reaching the North Sea. The Rhine basin is ecologically significant, supporting diverse fish species and serving as a migratory corridor for Atlantic salmon and eels. The plant's operations help maintain water quality in this densely populated and industrialized region, reducing nutrient loads that could otherwise contribute to eutrophication in downstream waters.