Santa María de los Ángeles Wastewater Treatment Plant, Jalisco, Mexico

Santa María de los Ángeles is a wastewater treatment plant located in the municipality of Santa María de los Ángeles, in the northern region of Jalisco, Mexico. It serves a small population of 1,876 residents, reflecting its role in a rural or semi-urban setting. The plant is situated on Calle Iturbide and operates under Mexico's national water management framework. The plant employs secondary treatment, which is the standard biological process required for municipal wastewater in Mexico under NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996. Its designed capacity is 259.20 cubic meters per day, and it currently treats an equal volume, indicating full utilization. This scale aligns with small community systems that typically rely on activated sludge or lagoon-based processes. The treated effluent is discharged into local water bodies, contributing to the protection of the surrounding watershed. The region's hydrology ultimately drains toward the Pacific Ocean via the Lerma-Santiago basin, which supports agricultural and ecological systems. Proper treatment helps prevent nutrient pollution and safeguards downstream water quality.

The plant discharges into the Lerma-Santiago basin, which flows through Jalisco and eventually reaches the Pacific Ocean via the Santiago River. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is important for regional agriculture. The secondary treatment reduces organic load and suspended solids, mitigating eutrophication risks in downstream reservoirs and coastal zones.