Ilowa Wastewater Treatment Plant, Stary Węgliniec, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland

The Ilowa wastewater treatment plant is located in Stary Węgliniec, a village in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of southwestern Poland. The facility serves a population of 2,226 and is part of the municipal infrastructure for the local community. As a small agglomeration, it plays a key role in protecting the region's water resources. The plant provides advanced treatment, which goes beyond the secondary treatment required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. With a designed capacity of 10,000 m³/day and an average discharge of 317.39 m³/day, the facility operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth. The advanced treatment likely includes nutrient removal to meet Polish and EU standards for sensitive areas. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that eventually feed into the Lusatian Neisse River, a tributary of the Oder River. The Oder flows into the Baltic Sea via the Szczecin Lagoon. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect downstream aquatic ecosystems and supports the ecological health of the Oder basin, which is important for biodiversity and migratory fish species.

The plant discharges into small streams that drain into the Lusatian Neisse River, a major tributary of the Oder River. The Oder flows northward to the Baltic Sea via the Szczecin Lagoon. The region's watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including fish species such as pike and perch, and the Oder estuary is an important migratory corridor for birds. Advanced treatment at this plant reduces nutrient loading, helping to prevent eutrophication in downstream waters.