UWWTP Westerhaar - Closed Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Vroomshoop, Overijssel

UWWTP Westerhaar is a former wastewater treatment plant located in Vroomshoop, a town in the municipality of Twenterand, Overijssel province, Netherlands. The plant was designed with a capacity of 5,400 cubic meters per day and provided advanced treatment, reflecting the high environmental standards typical of Dutch wastewater infrastructure. As a plant in the Netherlands, it operated under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which mandates advanced treatment for sensitive areas and secondary treatment for all agglomerations above 2,000 population equivalent. The advanced treatment level indicates that the plant likely employed nutrient removal (nitrogen and phosphorus) to protect sensitive water bodies. The plant's discharge would have entered the local surface water network, eventually draining into the Overijsselse Vecht river and then the IJsselmeer, a large freshwater lake that is ecologically important for migratory birds and fish. The closure of the plant suggests that wastewater flows were redirected to a larger regional facility, ensuring continued environmental protection.

The plant's receiving waters are part of the Overijsselse Vecht basin, which flows into the IJsselmeer, a major freshwater lake in the Netherlands. The IJsselmeer supports diverse aquatic life and is a key stopover for migratory birds. The advanced treatment at UWWTP Westerhaar would have helped control nutrient loads, preventing eutrophication in this sensitive ecosystem.