Potable Reuse at Wulpen Belgium Equilibrium
IWVA distributes drinking-water at the Flemish coast (Belgium). The local water supply comes from the dunes and its capacity is limited by the presence of seawater. As it is a popular tourist area, in summer months the population can double, and water supply alternatives were needed.
The Torreele facility at Wulpen began operation in 2002 and reuses municipal wastewater effluent to produce infiltration water for artificial groundwater recharge in the dunes of St-André (Koksijde). Without the artificial recharge with treated effluent, the use of catchments would no longer be possible. The dune area where the water is recharged is of high ecological value. In all the years of operation the plant has successfully met all treatment requirements.
The Torreele facility is Europe’s largest acknowledged indirect potable reuse treatment facility.