KOENIGSTEIN Wastewater Treatment Plant, Königstein, Bayern, Germany

KOENIGSTEIN is a former wastewater treatment plant located in Königstein, a town in the Bavarian district of Amberg-Sulzbach, Germany. It served a small population of 1,397, reflecting its role in a rural community. The plant operated with secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment stage required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) for smaller agglomerations. As a secondary treatment facility, KOENIGSTEIN would have employed biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The plant had a designed capacity of 2,300 cubic meters per day, with an average discharge volume of 353.55 cubic meters per day, indicating it operated well below capacity. The plant is now closed, and its wastewater responsibilities have likely been transferred to a nearby facility. The plant's treated effluent was discharged into local water bodies within the Danube river basin, which ultimately drains into the Black Sea. The surrounding region is characterized by forests and agricultural land, and the plant's operation contributed to protecting local streams and groundwater from untreated sewage.

The plant discharged into the Danube river basin, which flows through multiple countries before reaching the Black Sea. This basin supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor. The plant's secondary treatment helped reduce nutrient loads, protecting downstream ecosystems from eutrophication.