Fivemiletown Wastewater Treatment Plant, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Fivemiletown wastewater treatment plant is located in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, serving a small community of approximately 2,163 people. The plant is situated near Colebrooke Park Road in the townland of Killarbran, within the United Kingdom's regulatory framework. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. It has a designed capacity of 2,647 cubic meters per day and currently discharges an average of 481.56 cubic meters per day, indicating it operates well below its capacity. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Colebrooke River, a tributary of the Erne River system. The Erne River flows into Lough Erne and then to the Atlantic Ocean via Donegal Bay. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of these inland waters and downstream ecosystems.

The plant discharges into the Colebrooke River catchment, part of the Erne River basin. The Erne River flows through Lough Erne, a large lake system in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, before reaching Donegal Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is important for local biodiversity. The secondary treatment provided helps reduce organic pollutants and protect the receiving waters.