Kepie zaleszanskie Wastewater Treatment Plant, Zaleszany, Poland

Kepie zaleszanskie is a wastewater treatment plant located in Zaleszany, within the podkarpackie province of Poland. It serves a population of 4,672, classifying it as a small to medium agglomeration under Polish and EU regulations. The plant is situated in a rural area near the San River basin, contributing to local water quality management. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go 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 10,908 m³/day and an actual discharge volume of 666.15 m³/day, the facility operates well below its capacity, indicating potential for future growth or seasonal variability. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that eventually drain into the San River, a tributary of the Vistula River, which flows into the Baltic Sea. The advanced treatment helps protect downstream ecosystems, including the Vistula delta and Baltic coastal waters, from nutrient pollution and other contaminants.

The plant discharges into the San River basin, which flows into the Vistula River and ultimately reaches the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is a semi-enclosed sea sensitive to eutrophication from nutrient inputs. Advanced treatment at this plant reduces nitrogen and phosphorus loads, helping to mitigate algal blooms and oxygen depletion in downstream waters. The local watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor in southeastern Poland.