ETES UR 07_VARzEA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Recife, Pernambuco

ETES UR 07_VARzEA is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in the Várzea neighborhood of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Serving a population of 681, the plant is part of the Recife metropolitan region's sanitation infrastructure, which manages wastewater across a densely populated coastal urban area. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. Under Brazil's national environmental regulations (CONAMA resolutions), secondary treatment is the minimum required for most urban wastewater discharges. The plant's discharge volume of 81.00 m³/day reflects its small service area. Treated effluent from the plant ultimately reaches the Atlantic Ocean via the local drainage network, which includes the Capibaribe River and the Beberibe River systems. These waterways flow through the Recife estuary, a mangrove-rich coastal zone that supports diverse aquatic life and is ecologically sensitive to nutrient loading.

The plant discharges into the Recife metropolitan drainage system, which flows into the Capibaribe and Beberibe rivers before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. The coastal zone includes extensive mangrove forests that serve as critical nursery habitats for fish and crustaceans. Nutrient inputs from wastewater can affect water quality in the estuary, making secondary treatment important for protecting downstream ecosystems.