Overview
Los Guajes wastewater treatment plant in Michoacán, Mexico, serves 2,200 people with secondary treatment. It discharges 302.40 m³/day of treated wastewater, with a designed capacity of 388.80 m³/day.
Los Guajes is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in the town of Los Guajes, within the municipality of La Piedad, Michoacán, Mexico. The plant serves a population of approximately 2,200 residents, providing secondary treatment to manage domestic wastewater from the community. The plant operates under Mexico's national water regulations, which require secondary treatment for discharges into inland waters. With a designed capacity of 388.80 m³/day and an average discharge volume of 302.40 m³/day, the facility operates below its maximum capacity, indicating adequate headroom for current demand. The treated effluent is discharged into local water bodies that eventually drain into the Lerma River basin, a major hydrological system in central Mexico. The Lerma River flows into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest freshwater lake, which supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for agriculture and human consumption in the region.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into the Lerma River basin, which flows into Lake Chapala, a critical freshwater resource in central Mexico. The lake supports a variety of fish species and migratory birds, making it ecologically sensitive. Downstream, the Lerma-Santiago system continues to the Pacific Ocean, affecting coastal ecosystems. Proper wastewater treatment is essential to prevent nutrient loading and protect water quality in this interconnected watershed.
Frequently asked questions
Los Guajes WWTP is located on Calle Hidalgo in the town of Los Guajes, within the municipality of La Piedad, Michoacán, Mexico.
The plant serves approximately 2,200 residents in the Los Guajes community.
The plant discharges treated effluent into local water bodies that are part of the Lerma River basin, which flows into Lake Chapala and eventually the Pacific Ocean.
The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard requirement under Mexican regulations for discharges into inland waters to reduce organic matter and suspended solids.
The plant has a designed capacity of 388.80 m³/day and currently treats an average of 302.40 m³/day, operating below its maximum capacity.
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