ROWP CUDALBI Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cudalbi, Galați County, Romania

ROWP CUDALBI is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Cudalbi, Galați County, Romania, serving a population of 737. The plant operates under Romania's implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which sets treatment standards based on agglomeration size and receiving water sensitivity. The plant provides primary treatment, which involves physical sedimentation to remove settleable solids. With a designed capacity of 1,104 m³/day and a current discharge volume of 206.49 m³/day, the facility operates well below its capacity. For small agglomerations under 2,000 population equivalent, the EU directive requires appropriate treatment to meet local environmental objectives. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that drain toward the Danube River basin, ultimately reaching the Black Sea. The plant plays a role in protecting downstream water quality in this agriculturally active region of eastern Romania.

The plant discharges into tributaries of the Siret River, which flows into the Danube River and then into the Black Sea. The downstream environment supports diverse aquatic life and is part of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, a major European ecological corridor. Protecting water quality in this watershed is critical for maintaining biodiversity and supporting local agriculture and fisheries.