Overview
El Coatante wastewater treatment plant serves 1,121 people in Nayarit, Mexico, with secondary treatment. It discharges 216 m³/day and is located near the Pacific coast.
El Coatante is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in the town of El Coatante, within the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico. The plant serves a population of approximately 1,121 residents, reflecting a small-scale facility typical of rural communities in the region. Its location near the Pacific coast places it within an environmentally sensitive area where proper wastewater management is critical. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment level required under Mexican regulations (NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996) for discharge into water bodies. With a designed capacity of 259.20 m³/day and an actual discharge volume of 216.00 m³/day, the facility operates below its design capacity, indicating adequate headroom for current demand. Secondary treatment typically involves biological processes such as activated sludge or trickling filters to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that eventually drain into the Pacific Ocean, likely via the Ameca River or other coastal streams. The region's coastal and marine ecosystems, including mangroves and estuaries in Bahía de Banderas, depend on good water quality. Proper treatment helps protect these habitats from nutrient pollution and pathogens, supporting biodiversity and local livelihoods such as fishing and tourism.
Environmental context
The plant's discharge enters the local drainage network that flows into Bahía de Banderas, a large bay on the Pacific coast of Nayarit. This bay supports diverse marine life, including fish, crustaceans, and migratory birds, and is part of a broader coastal ecosystem that includes mangroves and wetlands. The area is also important for tourism and fisheries, making water quality management essential. The ultimate receiving water is the Pacific Ocean, where nutrient inputs from untreated or poorly treated wastewater can contribute to eutrophication and harm coral reefs and seagrass beds.
Frequently asked questions
El Coatante WWTP is located in the town of El Coatante, in the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico. Its coordinates are approximately 20.901° N, -105.124° W.
The plant serves a population of 1,121 people, making it a small-scale facility typical of rural communities in the region.
The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that eventually flow into Bahía de Banderas and the Pacific Ocean. The plant uses secondary treatment to reduce pollutants before discharge.
The plant operates under Mexican regulation NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996, which sets maximum permissible limits for pollutants in wastewater discharges into national waters. For small communities, secondary treatment is typically required.
For small agglomerations in Mexico, secondary treatment is standard, often using technologies like activated sludge, waste stabilization ponds, or constructed wetlands. It meets the required treatment level.
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