Overview
Stare Czarnowo wastewater treatment plant serves 570 people in województwo zachodniopomorskie, Poland. It provides secondary treatment and discharges 81.27 m³/day, operating under EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive standards.
Stare Czarnowo wastewater treatment plant is located in the village of Stare Czarnowo, within the gmina of the same name, in powiat gryfiński, województwo zachodniopomorskie, Poland. The plant serves a small population of 570 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community. It is situated approximately 14.8 km east of the city of Szczecin and about 50 km from the Baltic Sea coast. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations with a population equivalent below 10,000. The designed capacity is 1,000 m³/day, and the current discharge volume is 81.27 m³/day, indicating significant spare capacity. The plant operates under Poland's national implementation of the EU directive, which mandates secondary treatment for all discharges to freshwater and estuaries. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Odra River basin and then into the Szczecin Lagoon and the Baltic Sea. The plant's location within 50 km of the coast means its discharge contributes to the nutrient load in the Baltic Sea, a sensitive marine environment prone to eutrophication. Proper secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollutants and nutrients, supporting the health of downstream ecosystems.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into local streams that flow into the Odra River, which empties into the Szczecin Lagoon and then the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is a semi-enclosed brackish sea with limited water exchange, making it highly sensitive to nutrient pollution from wastewater discharges. Secondary treatment at this plant reduces biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids, but does not specifically target nitrogen and phosphorus removal, which are key drivers of eutrophication in the Baltic. The plant's location within 50 km of the coast places it within the Baltic Sea catchment area, where nutrient management is a regional priority.
Frequently asked questions
The plant is located in Stare Czarnowo, a village in gmina Stare Czarnowo, powiat gryfiński, województwo zachodniopomorskie, Poland. It is about 15 km east of Szczecin and roughly 50 km from the Baltic Sea coast.
The plant serves a population of 570 people, making it a small-scale facility for a rural community. It has a designed capacity of 1,000 m³/day, with current discharge of 81.27 m³/day.
The plant provides secondary treatment, which involves biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids. This is the minimum required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive for agglomerations under 10,000 population equivalent discharging to freshwater.
As a Polish plant serving fewer than 2,000 population equivalent, it falls under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires appropriate treatment (at least secondary) for all discharges. Poland has implemented this directive through national law, and the plant must comply with discharge standards for BOD, COD, and suspended solids.
The plant discharges into the Odra River basin, which flows into the Szczecin Lagoon and the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is a sensitive ecosystem vulnerable to eutrophication from nutrients. While secondary treatment reduces organic pollution, it does not specifically remove nitrogen and phosphorus, so the plant's discharge contributes to nutrient loads in the Baltic catchment.
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