Santa Fe Wastewater Treatment Plant, Santa Fe de la Laguna, Michoacán

The Santa Fe wastewater treatment plant is located in Santa Fe de la Laguna, a town in the municipality of Quiroga, Michoacán, Mexico. The facility serves a population of approximately 2,282 residents, providing essential sanitation services for this small community. The plant operates with secondary treatment, which is appropriate for its scale. It has a designed capacity of 259.20 m³/day and currently discharges 216.00 m³/day of treated wastewater. Under Mexican regulations (NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996), secondary treatment is required for municipal wastewater to meet discharge standards for receiving water bodies. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into Lake Pátzcuaro, a historically significant lake in central Mexico. Lake Pátzcuaro supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological and cultural resource for the region. Proper wastewater treatment helps protect this sensitive water body from nutrient pollution and other contaminants.

The Santa Fe plant discharges into the Lake Pátzcuaro basin, a closed basin that drains into the lake itself. Lake Pátzcuaro is a shallow, high-altitude lake that supports endemic fish species and migratory birds. The lake is ecologically sensitive to nutrient loading, making effective secondary treatment crucial for maintaining water quality and preventing eutrophication.