Ruiz de Ancones Wastewater Treatment Plant, Los Ancones, Chihuahua

Ruiz de Ancones is a wastewater treatment plant located in Los Ancones, within the municipality of Satevó, Chihuahua, Mexico. It serves a small population of 76 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for small agglomerations in Mexico. With a designed capacity of 17.28 m³/day and an actual discharge volume of 8.64 m³/day, the plant operates at about half its capacity. Secondary treatment typically involves biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids, meeting Mexican regulatory standards (NOM-001-SEMARNAT) for discharge into water bodies. The plant is located inland, more than 10 km from the coast, and its treated effluent likely drains into local arroyos or rivers within the Rio Conchos basin, which flows into the Rio Grande and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. This watershed supports agricultural activities and diverse aquatic life in the arid region of Chihuahua.

The plant's discharge enters the Rio Conchos watershed, a tributary of the Rio Grande (Bravo), which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. This arid region relies on limited surface water for irrigation and ecosystem support. The treated effluent helps maintain base flows in local streams, sustaining riparian habitats and migratory bird corridors in the Chihuahuan Desert.