Kacorlak Szennyviztisztito Telep - Advanced Wastewater Treatment in Kacorlak, Hungary

Kacorlak Szennyviztisztito Telep is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Kacorlak, a village in Zala County, western Hungary. The plant serves a small population of 176 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community within the Nyugat-Dunántúl region. It operates under Hungary's implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which sets standards for wastewater collection and treatment in agglomerations. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, ensuring a high level of pollutant removal before discharge. With a designed capacity of 169 m³/day and an actual discharge volume of 20.75 m³/day, the facility operates well below its capacity, indicating sufficient headroom for future growth or seasonal variations. The advanced treatment level likely includes nutrient removal, which is important for protecting sensitive receiving waters. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Danube River basin and the Black Sea. The plant's location more than 10 km from the coast reduces direct marine impact, but its proximity to the Zala River and Lake Balaton watershed underscores the importance of advanced treatment for preserving water quality in this ecologically significant region.

The plant discharges into local streams that flow into the Zala River, a major tributary of Lake Balaton, Central Europe's largest lake. Lake Balaton is a shallow, nutrient-sensitive water body that supports diverse aquatic life and is a key recreational and economic resource. Advanced treatment at this plant helps limit nutrient loading, reducing the risk of eutrophication in the lake and downstream in the Danube River system, which ultimately reaches the Black Sea.