Palma Grande Wastewater Treatment Plant, Nayarit, Mexico

Palma Grande is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in the town of Palma Grande, within the municipality of Tuxpan, Nayarit, Mexico. The plant serves a population of approximately 6,879 residents, placing it in the small-to-medium agglomeration category for Mexican wastewater infrastructure. The facility provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment level required under Mexican water quality regulations (NOM-001-SEMARNAT) for municipal wastewater. With a designed capacity of 1,382.40 cubic meters per day and an actual discharge volume of 691.20 cubic meters per day, the plant operates at about 50% capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal flow variations. The treated effluent is discharged into the local hydrological system, ultimately draining toward the Pacific Ocean via the region's coastal watershed. The plant's inland location, more than 50 km from the coast, reduces direct marine impact, but its discharge contributes to the health of local rivers and groundwater that support agriculture and ecosystems in the Nayarit lowlands.

The plant discharges into the Pacific-slope watershed of Nayarit, a region characterized by tropical dry forests and agricultural lands. The treated effluent flows into local streams that feed into larger rivers such as the Río Grande de Santiago or the Río San Pedro, which eventually reach the Pacific Ocean. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides irrigation water for nearby crops, making proper treatment essential for maintaining water quality and ecosystem health downstream.