Oczyszczalnia scieków komunalnych w Żmigrodzie - Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant

Oczyszczalnia scieków komunalnych w Żmigrodzie is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Żmigród, a town in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of southwestern Poland. The plant serves a population of approximately 6,200, placing it in the small-to-medium agglomeration category under Polish and EU regulations. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the minimum standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. The designed capacity is 14,990 m³/day, indicating significant headroom for future growth. The plant operates under Polish environmental law, which transposes EU directives and is enforced by regional water management authorities. The treated effluent is discharged into local rivers that ultimately drain into the Oder River basin and then to the Baltic Sea. This makes the plant's performance important for downstream water quality, particularly in sensitive areas where nutrient reduction is a priority under the EU Nitrates Directive and the Baltic Sea Action Plan.

The plant discharges into the Barycz River, a tributary of the Oder River, which flows into the Baltic Sea. The Barycz Valley is an ecologically sensitive area, supporting diverse aquatic life and serving as an important migratory corridor for birds. Nutrient removal from wastewater is critical to prevent eutrophication in the Baltic Sea.