Ambergate Sewage Treatment Works FE - Closed Secondary Plant in Amber Valley, Derbyshire

Ambergate Sewage Treatment Works FE is a former wastewater treatment facility located in Amber Valley, Derbyshire, within the East Midlands region of England. The plant served the Ambergate area and surrounding communities before its closure. It was designed with a capacity of 1926 cubic meters per day, indicating it handled a relatively small flow. The plant provided secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment stage required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for discharges to freshwater. Although the plant is now closed, its historical operation would have complied with the regulatory framework applicable at the time, ensuring treated effluent met quality standards before discharge. The treated effluent from the plant would have been discharged into a local watercourse, likely a tributary of the River Derwent, which flows through the Derbyshire countryside. The River Derwent is an important ecological corridor, supporting diverse aquatic life and contributing to the wider Trent catchment, which ultimately drains into the Humber Estuary and the North Sea.

The plant's discharge would have entered a local stream or river within the Derwent catchment, a key tributary of the River Trent. The Trent flows into the Humber Estuary, a major ecological zone supporting migratory fish and bird populations. The Derwent itself is known for its clean waters and supports salmonid fish species, making water quality protection critical. The closure of this plant may have shifted treatment to a larger facility, potentially altering local discharge patterns.