Tessin Wastewater Treatment Plant, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

The Tessin wastewater treatment plant is located in the town of Tessin, in the Landkreis Rostock district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It serves a population of approximately 3,964 residents, classifying it as a small agglomeration under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the minimum required by the EU UWWTD for freshwater discharges from agglomerations of this size. With a designed capacity of 4,900 m³/day and an average daily discharge of 588.49 m³/day, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variations. The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse that ultimately drains into the Baltic Sea. The plant's location within 50 km of the coast means its discharge contributes to the nutrient load entering the Baltic, a semi-enclosed sea sensitive to eutrophication. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollutants but may not fully address nutrient removal, which is critical for protecting the Baltic Sea ecosystem.

The Tessin plant discharges into a small river or stream that flows into the Warnow or Recknitz river system, eventually reaching the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is a brackish water body with limited water exchange, making it highly sensitive to nutrient pollution from wastewater. Eutrophication from nitrogen and phosphorus inputs is a major ecological concern, leading to algal blooms and oxygen depletion in bottom waters. The plant's secondary treatment provides basic organic matter removal, but nutrient removal may be limited, contributing to the regional challenge of reducing nutrient loads to the Baltic.