Overview
Mourão wastewater treatment plant in Mourão, Portugal serves 2,200 people with advanced treatment. The facility discharges 366.81 cubic meters of treated wastewater daily.
The Mourão wastewater treatment plant is located in Mourão, a town in the Évora district of Portugal. The facility serves a population of approximately 2,200 residents, placing it in the small agglomeration category under Portuguese and EU regulations. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. Advanced treatment typically includes nutrient removal to protect sensitive receiving waters. The plant has a designed capacity of 2,598 cubic meters per day and currently discharges an average of 366.81 cubic meters per day, indicating significant spare capacity. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Guadiana River basin. The Guadiana River flows southward to the Gulf of Cádiz in the Atlantic Ocean. The region's aquatic ecosystems benefit from the advanced treatment level, which helps maintain water quality in this semi-arid area of southern Portugal.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into the Guadiana River basin, a major Iberian watercourse that flows through Portugal and Spain before reaching the Gulf of Cádiz. The Guadiana supports diverse aquatic life, including several endemic fish species, and its estuary is an important migratory corridor for birds. Advanced treatment at this plant helps reduce nutrient loading, protecting downstream water quality in this ecologically sensitive river system.
Frequently asked questions
The Mourão wastewater treatment plant is located at CM 1133, Bairro Doutor Baltazar Rebelo de Sousa, Mourão, Évora, 7240-252, Portugal.
The Mourão plant serves approximately 2,200 residents, classifying it as a small agglomeration under EU wastewater regulations.
The Mourão plant provides advanced treatment, which includes nutrient removal beyond secondary treatment. This is typical for plants discharging into sensitive areas under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
Under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), agglomerations with a population equivalent (PE) between 2,000 and 10,000 are required to have secondary treatment. The Mourão plant exceeds this requirement with advanced treatment, likely due to the sensitivity of the receiving Guadiana River basin.
The Mourão plant discharges an average of 366.81 cubic meters of treated wastewater per day, well below its designed capacity of 2,598 cubic meters per day.
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