Overview
Centro wastewater treatment plant serves 104,124 people in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico. It operates under Mexican water regulations (NOM-001-SEMARNAT) for discharge standards.
Centro is a wastewater treatment plant located in Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico, serving a population of approximately 104,124. The plant is situated in the historic center of the city, an inland urban area. As a medium-to-large agglomeration, it plays a key role in managing municipal wastewater for this growing metropolitan region. Under Mexican federal regulations (NOM-001-SEMARNAT), wastewater treatment plants must meet specific discharge standards based on the receiving water body. For plants serving over 100,000 people, secondary treatment is typically required to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The plant's designed capacity is 1.00 (likely in cubic meters per second or similar unit), indicating a substantial infrastructure investment. The treated effluent from Centro likely discharges into the Querétaro River or a tributary, which flows into the Lerma River basin, eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean via the Lerma-Santiago system. This watershed supports agricultural irrigation and provides water for downstream communities. Proper treatment is essential to protect water quality in this semi-arid region where water resources are scarce.
Environmental context
The plant's discharge enters the Querétaro River, part of the Lerma-Santiago basin, which drains into the Pacific Ocean. This watershed is ecologically significant as it supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for agriculture in central Mexico. The region faces water scarcity, making effective wastewater treatment critical for maintaining downstream ecosystem health and water availability.
Frequently asked questions
Centro is located at 12 Privada Vicente Guerrero in the Centro district of Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico.
The plant serves approximately 104,124 people in the Santiago de Querétaro metropolitan area.
Treated effluent from Centro is discharged into the Querétaro River, which flows into the Lerma River basin and ultimately reaches the Pacific Ocean.
The plant operates under Mexico's NOM-001-SEMARNAT standard, which sets discharge limits for pollutants based on the receiving water body. Plants serving over 100,000 people typically require secondary treatment.
For agglomerations of this size, Mexican regulations generally mandate secondary treatment to reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) to meet water quality standards.
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