Cardigan STW: Wastewater Treatment for Aberteifi/Cardigan, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Cardigan STW is a wastewater treatment plant serving the community of Aberteifi (Cardigan) in Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom. The facility handles sewage from a population of around 5,741, making it a small-scale treatment works typical of rural coastal towns in the region. Under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which remains transposed into UK law, treatment plants serving populations between 2,000 and 10,000 are generally required to provide secondary treatment. As a plant of this scale, Cardigan STW is expected to meet these standards, ensuring adequate treatment before discharge. The plant's treated effluent is released into local rivers that flow into Cardigan Bay, part of the Irish Sea. This coastal environment supports diverse marine life, including bottlenose dolphins and seabirds, and is an important area for fisheries and tourism. The plant's operation helps protect the bay's water quality and ecological health.

Cardigan STW discharges into local watercourses that drain into Cardigan Bay, a coastal inlet of the Irish Sea. The bay is ecologically sensitive, supporting habitats for marine species such as harbor porpoises and Atlantic salmon. The plant's treatment processes help maintain water quality in this important marine environment, which is also a popular area for recreation and fishing.