Jaltiche de Arriba Wastewater Treatment Plant, Aguascalientes, Mexico

Jaltiche de Arriba is a wastewater treatment plant located in the town of Jaltiche de Arriba, within the municipality of Calvillo, Aguascalientes, Mexico. The facility serves a population of approximately 3,468 residents, making it a small-scale municipal plant. It is situated inland, more than 10 km from the coast, and operates under Mexico's national water quality standards. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level for municipal wastewater in Mexico under NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996. This regulation sets maximum permissible limits for pollutants in treated wastewater discharged into national waters. The plant has a designed capacity of 216.00 cubic meters per day and currently discharges 328.32 cubic meters daily, indicating operation above its nominal capacity. The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse that ultimately drains into the Pacific Ocean via the Rio Grande de Santiago basin. The plant plays a key role in protecting local water quality and downstream ecosystems, including agricultural areas and freshwater habitats in the region.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Rio Grande de Santiago, which flows through the state of Aguascalientes and Jalisco before reaching the Pacific Ocean. This watershed supports agricultural irrigation and freshwater biodiversity. The region's semi-arid climate makes water quality management critical for both human use and ecological health. Downstream ecosystems include riparian habitats and reservoirs that rely on consistent water quality.