Figueiro do Campo Wastewater Treatment Plant, Soure, Portugal

Figueiro do Campo is a wastewater treatment plant located in the civil parish of Figueiró do Campo, within the municipality of Soure, in the Coimbra district of central Portugal. The plant serves a population of around 3,600 people, placing it in the small agglomeration category under Portuguese and EU regulations. It is situated inland, approximately 50 km from the Atlantic coast. The plant operates at secondary treatment level, which is the minimum standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for discharges into freshwater and estuaries from agglomerations of this size. The designed capacity of the plant is 3,673 cubic meters per day, and it currently treats an average daily flow of 600.23 cubic meters, indicating significant spare capacity for future growth or seasonal variations. The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse that ultimately drains into the Mondego River basin, one of the major river systems in central Portugal. The Mondego River flows westward and enters the Atlantic Ocean near Figueira da Foz. The plant's operation helps protect the water quality of the Mondego catchment, which supports diverse aquatic life and is used for agriculture and recreation downstream.

Figueiro do Campo discharges into a tributary of the Mondego River, which flows through the Coimbra district and empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Figueira da Foz. The Mondego basin is an ecologically important area, supporting fish species such as the Iberian barbel and providing habitat for migratory birds. The plant's secondary treatment reduces organic pollutants and suspended solids, helping to maintain the ecological health of the river and its downstream coastal waters.