MILBORNE PORT STW - Goathill, Dorset Wastewater Treatment Plant

MILBORNE PORT STW is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located on Goathill Road in Goathill, Dorset, England. The facility serves a population of approximately 4,209 people and is part of the wastewater infrastructure in the rural area of Dorset, within the United Kingdom. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. The designed capacity is 4,794 m³/day, with an average daily discharge volume of 937 m³/day, indicating the plant operates well below its capacity. As a UK facility, it operates under the Water Industry Act 1991 and is regulated by the Environment Agency. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that drain into the English Channel via the Dorset river system. The plant plays a key role in protecting the region's chalk streams and coastal waters, which support diverse aquatic life and are important for both ecology and recreation.

The plant discharges into local rivers that flow through the Dorset countryside, eventually reaching the English Channel. The receiving waters are part of the Wessex chalk stream system, which is ecologically sensitive due to its clear, nutrient-poor conditions that support rare species such as the white-clawed crayfish and Atlantic salmon. Protecting these waters from nutrient enrichment is critical for maintaining biodiversity and water quality.