El Barrial Wastewater Treatment Plant, Tabasco, Mexico

El Barrial is a wastewater treatment plant located in the town of El Barrial, within the municipality of Jonuta, Tabasco, Mexico. The facility serves a small population of 2,054 residents, providing secondary treatment to manage municipal wastewater. It operates at a capacity utilization of 75%, with a designed capacity of 259.20 units and an actual discharge volume of 194.40 units. The plant employs secondary treatment processes, which are standard for small agglomerations in Mexico. Under Mexican regulations (NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996), secondary treatment is required for discharges into national waters to meet quality standards for parameters like biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids. The treated effluent is discharged into local water bodies that eventually drain into the Grijalva River basin, a major hydrological system in southeastern Mexico. This basin supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for agriculture and communities downstream. The plant's location more than 10 km from the coast reduces direct marine impact, but its discharge contributes to the overall water quality of the region's inland waters.

The plant discharges into the Grijalva River basin, which flows through Tabasco and into the Gulf of Mexico. This watershed supports a variety of freshwater species and is ecologically sensitive due to seasonal flooding and agricultural runoff. The secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollutants, protecting downstream ecosystems and water quality for local communities.