Tepehuanes II El Molino Wastewater Treatment Plant, Santa Catarina de Tepehuanes, Durango

Tepehuanes II El Molino is a wastewater treatment plant located in Santa Catarina de Tepehuanes, within the municipality of Tepehuanes, Durango, Mexico. The facility serves a small population of 1,095 residents, providing essential sanitation services for this rural community in the Sierra Madre Occidental region. The plant employs secondary treatment, which is appropriate for its scale and typical for small Mexican communities. With a designed capacity of 1,555.20 cubic meters and a current discharge volume of 103.68 cubic meters, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth. Mexican wastewater treatment plants are regulated under NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996, which sets discharge limits for pollutants into national waters. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that eventually drain into the Pacific Ocean via the San Pedro Mezquital River basin. This region is ecologically sensitive, supporting diverse aquatic life and providing water for downstream communities and agriculture. Proper treatment helps protect water quality in this semi-arid environment.

The plant discharges into the San Pedro Mezquital River basin, which flows through Durango and Nayarit before reaching the Pacific Ocean. This watershed supports diverse ecosystems, including riparian habitats and seasonal wetlands that are important for migratory birds. The region's semi-arid climate makes water quality management critical for both human use and ecological health.