Santa Catalina Wastewater Treatment Plant, Santa Catalina de Villela, Chihuahua, Mexico

Santa Catalina is a wastewater treatment plant located in Santa Catalina de Villela, within the municipality of Namiquipa, Chihuahua, Mexico. The plant serves a small community of 913 residents, reflecting its role in rural wastewater management in northern Mexico. The facility employs secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 604.80 cubic meters per day and an actual discharge volume of 86.40 cubic meters per day, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating potential for future growth or seasonal demand. Under Mexican regulations (NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996), secondary treatment is required for discharges into national waters, ensuring compliance with national water quality standards. The plant's treated effluent is discharged into local water bodies that ultimately drain into the Rio Conchos basin, a tributary of the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo). This watershed supports agricultural irrigation and provides habitat for diverse aquatic species. The plant's operation helps protect downstream water quality in this arid region where water resources are critical for both human use and ecosystem health.

The plant discharges into the Rio Conchos watershed, which flows into the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) and eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico. This basin is ecologically significant, supporting riparian habitats and migratory bird species in the Chihuahuan Desert. The plant's secondary treatment reduces organic pollution, helping maintain water quality for downstream agricultural and ecological uses in a water-scarce region.