Willingshausen _ Merzhausen Wastewater Treatment Plant, Merzhausen, Hessen

Willingshausen _ Merzhausen is a former wastewater treatment plant located in the village of Merzhausen, part of the municipality of Willingshausen in the Schwalm-Eder-Kreis district of Hessen, Germany. The plant was designed to serve a population of 1,537 and had a designed capacity of 2,500 cubic meters per day. It is currently closed and no longer in operation. The plant employed advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. Advanced treatment typically includes nutrient removal to protect sensitive water bodies. The plant's discharge likely entered local streams that feed into the Schwalm River, a tributary of the Eder, which flows into the Fulda and ultimately the Weser River system. The Weser drains into the North Sea. The region is characterized by agricultural land and small settlements, and proper wastewater treatment is essential to protect local water quality and aquatic habitats.

The plant's treated effluent would have discharged into local watercourses that drain into the Schwalm River, part of the Weser basin. The Weser River flows through central Germany to the North Sea, supporting diverse aquatic life and providing drinking water for downstream communities. The region's agricultural activities make nutrient removal important to prevent eutrophication in receiving waters.