Chocianow Wastewater Treatment Plant, Chocianów, Lower Silesia, Poland

The Chocianow wastewater treatment plant is located in Chocianów, in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of southwestern Poland. It serves a population of about 6,265 residents, placing it in the small-to-medium agglomeration category under Polish and EU regulations. The plant is situated in a rural-urban area near the city center. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size discharging into freshwater. The designed capacity is 14,999 m³/day, with a reported discharge volume of 893.29 m³/day, indicating operational headroom. As a Polish facility, it operates under national water law transposing EU directives, with permits issued by the Regional Water Management Board (RZGW). The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Oder River basin, flowing north to the Baltic Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the region's surface water quality, supporting aquatic ecosystems and downstream water uses.

The plant discharges into the Oder River basin, which flows through western Poland and into the Baltic Sea via the Szczecin Lagoon. The receiving waters support diverse aquatic life and are important for regional biodiversity. The area is part of a lowland agricultural landscape, where nutrient removal from wastewater helps prevent eutrophication in downstream lakes and coastal waters.