More than 99% of Luxembourg's population is connected to biological wastewater treatment plants
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In response to a parliamentary enquiry by MP Jeff Engelen, the Minister for Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, Serge Wilmes, presented a detailed picture of the current state of Luxembourg's wastewater treatment system.
Today, more than 99% of the country's population is connected to biological wastewater treatment plants. The rest, about 4,500 people, use individual solutions, such as septic tanks (fosses septiques). However, the connection of the population varies between inter-municipal syndicates, as most plants serve several communes at the same time.
The Third Cycle Water Management Plan (2021-2027), published by the Water Resources Administration, outlines both new station construction projects and objectives for expansion or modernisation of existing facilities. Specifically, plans include: - Construction of 9 new biological treatment plants, two of which are already under construction; - modernisation or expansion of 62 existing plants, eight of which are already under implementation.
The implementation of the fourth stage of treatment envisaged by the new European Directive 2024/3019, which entered into force on 1 January 2025, is also under discussion. This stage involves additional filtration of micropollutants and requires EU Member States to implement new technological solutions. Luxembourg has 30 months to transpose the directive into national law.
Thus, despite its high coverage and relatively well-developed infrastructure, Luxembourg is entering a new phase of technological modernisation of wastewater treatment systems in an effort to meet European standards and ensure environmental sustainability against the backdrop of climate and sanitation challenges.
