Boticas Wastewater Treatment Plant - Secondary Treatment in Northern Portugal

The Boticas wastewater treatment plant is located in the Vila Real district of northern Portugal, serving the town of Boticas and surrounding areas. It is a secondary treatment facility designed to handle a population equivalent of 3,000, with a designed capacity of 3,300 m³/day. The plant discharges an average of 500.19 m³/day of treated effluent. As a secondary treatment plant, Boticas meets the minimum treatment requirements under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations with a population equivalent between 2,000 and 10,000. This directive mandates secondary treatment for all discharges from such agglomerations, ensuring effective removal of organic matter and suspended solids. The treated effluent from the plant is discharged into local watercourses that drain into the Tâmega River basin, which flows south into the Douro River and eventually reaches the Atlantic Ocean near Porto. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of the Tâmega and Douro rivers, which support diverse aquatic life and are important for regional agriculture and recreation.

The Boticas plant discharges into the Tâmega River basin, a tributary of the Douro River. The Douro is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing through Portugal and Spain before reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Porto. The watershed supports diverse freshwater ecosystems and is important for irrigation and hydropower. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic pollution, protecting downstream water quality and aquatic habitats.