Erongarícuaro La Esmeralda Wastewater Treatment Plant, San Francisco Uricho, Michoacán

Erongarícuaro La Esmeralda is a wastewater treatment plant located in San Francisco Uricho, within the municipality of Erongarícuaro, Michoacán, Mexico. The plant serves a small community of approximately 3,468 people, providing secondary treatment to manage domestic wastewater from the area. The plant has a designed capacity of 518.40 cubic meters per day and currently treats a daily volume of 328.32 cubic meters, operating below its full capacity. As a secondary treatment facility, it employs biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids, meeting standard regulatory requirements for municipal wastewater in Mexico. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into Lake Pátzcuaro, a historically significant lake in central Mexico. The lake supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological and cultural resource. Proper treatment helps protect water quality in this sensitive inland water body.

The plant discharges into the Lake Pátzcuaro basin, a closed basin that drains into the lake itself. Lake Pátzcuaro is a shallow, high-altitude lake that supports endemic fish species and migratory birds. The watershed is ecologically sensitive due to historical eutrophication and water level fluctuations, making effective wastewater treatment critical for maintaining water quality and biodiversity.