Overview
Santo Tomas wastewater treatment plant in Chihuahua, Mexico, serves 1,624 people with secondary treatment. It discharges 172.80 cubic meters per day and is located inland, over 10 km from the coast.
The Santo Tomas wastewater treatment plant is located in the town of Santo Tomás, within the municipality of Guerrero, Chihuahua, Mexico. It serves a small population of 1,624 people, reflecting its role in a rural or semi-urban community. The plant is situated inland, more than 10 km from the coast, and its operations are part of the local water management infrastructure in the region. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. It has a designed capacity of 172.80 cubic meters per day and currently discharges a similar volume, indicating full utilization. Under Mexican regulations (NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996 and subsequent updates), secondary treatment is required for municipal wastewater to meet discharge standards for receiving water bodies. The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse, likely a tributary of the Rio Conchos, which flows into the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) and eventually to the Gulf of Mexico. The plant helps protect downstream water quality and aquatic ecosystems in the Rio Conchos basin, which supports agriculture and biodiversity in the Chihuahuan Desert region.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into a local watercourse that drains into the Rio Conchos, a major tributary of the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo). The Rio Conchos basin is ecologically significant, supporting riparian habitats and migratory birds in the arid Chihuahuan Desert. Downstream, the Rio Grande flows to the Gulf of Mexico, where nutrient and pollutant loads can affect coastal ecosystems. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollution and protect water quality in this transboundary river system.
Frequently asked questions
The plant is located in Santo Tomás, a town in the municipality of Guerrero, Chihuahua, Mexico, along the Carretera Chihuahua-Madera.
The plant serves a population of 1,624 people, typical of a small rural community in Chihuahua.
The plant uses secondary treatment, a biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids before discharge.
The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse that flows into the Rio Conchos, a tributary of the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo).
The plant operates under Mexican standard NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996, which sets discharge limits for municipal wastewater to protect receiving waters.
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