KA Ruhbachtal Wastewater Treatment Plant, Spiesen-Elversberg, Saarland

KA Ruhbachtal is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in the Ruhbachtal valley near Spiesen-Elversberg in the Saarland region of Germany. The facility serves a population equivalent of approximately 3,250 residents and operates with a designed capacity of 4,000 cubic meters per day, with an average discharge volume of 706.42 m³/day. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment stage required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. German wastewater facilities are subject to strict national regulations (Abwasserverordnung) that set effluent limits for parameters such as BOD, COD, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The treated effluent is discharged into the local Ruhbach stream, which flows into the Blies River, a tributary of the Saar River. The Saar ultimately joins the Moselle and then the Rhine, draining into the North Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of these downstream water bodies and the sensitive ecosystems they support.

The plant discharges into the Ruhbach, a small stream that flows into the Blies River, a major tributary of the Saar. The Saar River system is part of the Rhine basin, which drains into the North Sea. The region's water bodies support diverse aquatic life and are important for migratory fish species. Secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollution and nutrient loads, safeguarding the ecological health of the downstream river network.