Overview
Juncal wastewater treatment plant serves 2,600 people in Porto de Mós, Leiria, Portugal. It provides secondary treatment and discharges 433.50 m³/day, operating under EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive standards.
Juncal is a wastewater treatment plant located in the civil parish of Juncal, within the municipality of Porto de Mós, in the Leiria District of Portugal. The plant serves a population of approximately 2,600 residents, making it a small-scale municipal facility. Its location in the central-western region of Portugal places it within a mixed urban and rural landscape, near the Serra de Aire e Candeeiros mountain range. 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. The directive mandates secondary treatment for populations between 2,000 and 10,000 in freshwater areas, ensuring removal of organic matter and suspended solids. The plant has a designed capacity of 2,783 m³/day and currently discharges an average of 433.50 m³/day of treated effluent. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that eventually drain into the Atlantic Ocean via the Tagus River basin or nearby coastal streams. The region's karst geology makes groundwater protection particularly important. The plant's operation helps protect downstream ecosystems, including the coastal waters of the Berlengas archipelago, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and supports water quality in the broader Leiria region.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into local streams that flow toward the Atlantic Ocean, likely contributing to the Tagus River basin or smaller coastal catchments. The region features karst limestone terrain, which is sensitive to pollution due to rapid groundwater infiltration. Downstream, the coastal waters support diverse marine life and include the Berlengas archipelago, an important ecological area. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic load and protect these downstream environments.
Frequently asked questions
The Juncal wastewater treatment plant is located at Rua da Fonte das Caldas, in the civil parish of Juncal, within the municipality of Porto de Mós, in the Leiria District of Portugal.
The Juncal WWTP serves approximately 2,600 people, classifying it as a small-scale municipal wastewater treatment facility.
The plant discharges treated wastewater into local watercourses that eventually drain into the Atlantic Ocean, likely via the Tagus River basin or nearby coastal streams.
The Juncal plant provides secondary treatment, which includes biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids, as required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive for agglomerations of this size.
The plant operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), transposed into Portuguese law. For small agglomerations like Juncal (2,000-10,000 population equivalent), the directive mandates secondary treatment to protect receiving water bodies.
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