Ptaszkowa Wastewater Treatment Plant, Królowa Górna | Poland

Ptaszkowa wastewater treatment plant is located in Królowa Górna, within the małopolskie province of southern Poland. The facility served the local community before its closure, with a designed capacity of 1,500 cubic meters per day. As a secondary treatment plant, it provided biological treatment to reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids from municipal wastewater. Although the plant is now closed, its operational history reflects the regulatory framework of Poland, which implements the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). Under this directive, agglomerations of this scale are typically required to provide secondary treatment, with more stringent requirements for sensitive areas. The plant's discharge, when operational, would have entered local watercourses that drain into the Dunajec River basin, a tributary of the Vistula River. The Vistula flows northward through Poland into the Baltic Sea. The surrounding area is characterized by the Carpathian foothills, with rivers supporting diverse aquatic life and providing water for agriculture and recreation.

The plant's treated effluent, when operational, would have discharged into local streams within the Dunajec River catchment. The Dunajec flows into the Vistula River, which ultimately reaches the Baltic Sea. This watershed supports sensitive aquatic ecosystems, including fish spawning grounds and riparian habitats. The Carpathian region's water bodies are important for biodiversity and are subject to EU water quality standards under the Water Framework Directive.