ETE RIO DOCE - Primary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rio Doce, Minas Gerais

ETE RIO DOCE is a wastewater treatment plant located in Rio Doce, a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The plant serves a population of 1,372, making it a small-scale facility within the region's sanitation network. It is situated along the BR-120 highway in the Zona da Mata region, an area characterized by rolling hills and tropical climate. As a primary treatment facility, ETE RIO DOCE provides basic physical treatment to remove settleable solids and reduce organic load. Under Brazilian regulations (CONAMA 430/2011 and 357/2005), small plants like this are expected to meet effluent standards for BOD and TSS. While the plant's treatment level is primary, it contributes to reducing pollution loads in local water bodies compared to untreated discharge. The plant's discharge volume of 190.09 m³/day enters the local watershed, which drains into the Doce River basin. The Doce River flows eastward through Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. This basin supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for communities downstream. Proper treatment at ETE RIO DOCE helps protect water quality in the Rio Doce sub-basin.

The plant discharges into the Doce River basin, a major watershed in southeastern Brazil that flows approximately 850 km to the Atlantic Ocean. The basin supports diverse freshwater ecosystems, including fish species such as the surubim and pacu, and provides water for agriculture and urban use. Downstream, the river passes through the Rio Doce State Park, an ecologically sensitive area of Atlantic Forest remnants. Effective treatment at ETE RIO DOCE helps reduce nutrient and organic loads that could otherwise contribute to eutrophication and oxygen depletion in the river system.