Alqueidao Wastewater Treatment Plant, Figueira da Foz, Portugal

Alqueidao wastewater treatment plant is located in the Barra area of Figueira da Foz, Coimbra District, Portugal. It serves a population of approximately 2,700 people, making it a small-scale municipal facility. The plant is situated near the Atlantic coast, less than 10 km from the shoreline. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. Its designed capacity is 2,750 m³/day, and it currently discharges an average of 450.17 m³/day of treated effluent. The facility operates within Portugal's national regulatory framework, which implements EU directives through Decreto-Lei n.º 152/97. The treated effluent is discharged into the Atlantic Ocean via the coastal environment near Figueira da Foz. The area is part of the Mondego River basin, which supports diverse aquatic life and important coastal ecosystems. The plant plays a key role in protecting local water quality and marine habitats from untreated wastewater.

The plant discharges into the Atlantic Ocean near the mouth of the Mondego River, which drains a large watershed in central Portugal. The coastal zone supports diverse marine life, including fish nurseries and migratory bird populations. The Mondego estuary is ecologically sensitive, hosting habitats that depend on good water quality. Proper treatment at Alqueidao helps reduce nutrient and pathogen loads entering the marine environment.