Żołynia Wastewater Treatment Plant | Podkarpackie, Poland

The Żołynia wastewater treatment plant is located in the village of Żołynia, within the Łańcut County of Podkarpackie Voivodeship in southeastern Poland. This facility serves a population of approximately 2,500 residents, making it a small-scale municipal plant typical of rural communities in the region. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment required under Polish law and the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations with a population equivalent between 2,000 and 10,000. The plant has a designed capacity of 3,047 m³/day and currently treats about 360 m³/day, indicating ample reserve capacity for future growth. Treated effluent from the plant is discharged into local streams that eventually flow into the Wisłok River, a tributary of the San River, which joins the Vistula River and drains into the Baltic Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of these rivers and the downstream ecosystem, including the Vistula Delta and the Baltic Sea coastal zone.

The plant discharges into small watercourses within the Wisłok River basin, which flows through the Carpathian foothills. The Wisłok joins the San River, a major tributary of the Vistula, which ultimately reaches the Baltic Sea. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is important for regional biodiversity. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads, mitigating eutrophication risks in downstream waters.