Overview
UWWTP Uithuizen is a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Groningen, Netherlands, serving approximately 4,400 people. It operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
UWWTP Uithuizen is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Uithuizen, a town in the province of Groningen, Netherlands. The plant serves a population of approximately 4,400 people, placing it in the small agglomeration category under EU regulations. As a Dutch plant, it operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires appropriate treatment for discharges into sensitive areas. The Netherlands has designated much of its surface waters as sensitive, necessitating advanced treatment for plants of this scale. The plant has a designed capacity of 1.00 (likely in thousands of cubic meters per day), indicating a modest facility. The treated effluent from UWWTP Uithuizen is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its unique intertidal ecosystems. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of the surrounding polder landscape and the downstream marine environment.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into the local drainage network of the Groningen polder region, which flows into the Wadden Sea via the Waddenzee. The Wadden Sea is a shallow tidal basin that supports diverse bird populations, marine life, and seagrass beds. Nutrient and pollutant removal at the plant is critical to prevent eutrophication and maintain the ecological health of this internationally important coastal ecosystem.
Frequently asked questions
UWWTP Uithuizen is located in Uithuizen, a town in the province of Groningen, Netherlands. The address is N999, Uithuizen, Het Hogeland, Groningen.
The plant serves approximately 4,439 people, classifying it as a small agglomeration under EU wastewater treatment regulations.
Treated wastewater from the plant is discharged into local drainage canals that flow into the Wadden Sea, a sensitive coastal ecosystem. The discharge is regulated under Dutch and EU water quality standards.
As a Dutch plant, UWWTP Uithuizen operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which mandates secondary treatment for agglomerations over 2,000 population equivalent and more stringent treatment in sensitive areas like the Wadden Sea region.
For small agglomerations in the Netherlands, typical treatment includes secondary biological treatment with nutrient removal, as the country's surface waters are largely designated as sensitive areas under the EU UWWTD.
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