Ojo Zarco de Fuentes Wastewater Treatment Plant, Jesús María, Jalisco

Ojo Zarco de Fuentes is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in the community of Ojo Zarco de Fuentes, within the municipality of Jesús María in the Altos Sur region of Jalisco, Mexico. The plant serves a small population of 863 residents, reflecting its role in a rural or peri-urban setting. The plant operates with secondary treatment, which is the standard level required under Mexican regulations (NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996) for discharges into national waters. With a designed capacity of 86.40 volume units and a discharge volume of 86.40, the plant appears to be operating at full capacity. Secondary treatment typically involves biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The treated effluent is discharged into local water bodies that ultimately drain into the Lerma-Santiago basin, one of Mexico's most important hydrological systems. This basin flows into the Pacific Ocean via the Santiago River and Lake Chapala. The plant's operation helps protect downstream water quality in a region characterized by agricultural and livestock activities.

The plant discharges into the Lerma-Santiago basin, which flows through Jalisco and into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest freshwater lake, before continuing to the Pacific Ocean. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for irrigation and human consumption. The region's seasonal rainfall and agricultural runoff make effective wastewater treatment critical to preventing eutrophication and maintaining ecological balance in downstream water bodies.