Cartaxo_Santo Crsito Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cartaxo, Portugal

Cartaxo_Santo Crsito is a wastewater treatment plant located in Cartaxo, a town in the Santarém district of Portugal. The plant serves a population of approximately 16,900 people, classifying it as a medium-sized agglomeration under Portuguese and EU regulations. It is situated along the Ribeira do Cartaxo, a local watercourse that flows through the Tagus River basin. As a plant serving a population between 10,000 and 100,000, it falls under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment as a minimum standard. The plant's designed capacity is 1.00 (likely in thousands of cubic meters per day or similar units), indicating a facility sized to handle the local wastewater load. The regulatory framework ensures compliance with EU standards for organic matter and nutrient removal. The treated effluent is discharged into the Ribeira do Cartaxo, which flows into the Tagus River, one of the longest rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. The Tagus eventually reaches the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon. The plant plays a key role in protecting the Tagus estuary and coastal waters from pollution, supporting aquatic life and water quality downstream.

The plant discharges into the Ribeira do Cartaxo, a tributary of the Tagus River. The Tagus River flows westward through Portugal and empties into the Atlantic Ocean at the Tagus Estuary, a vital ecosystem for migratory birds and marine species. The estuary supports diverse aquatic life and is an important nursery area for fish. Effective wastewater treatment at Cartaxo_Santo Crsito helps reduce nutrient and pollutant loads, safeguarding the ecological health of the river and downstream coastal environment.