ALMARAZ Wastewater Treatment Plant, Almaraz, Extremadura, Spain

ALMARAZ is a wastewater treatment plant located in Almaraz, Cáceres, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. The plant serves a population of approximately 2,300 residents, making it a small-scale municipal facility. It is situated inland, away from coastal areas, and its operations are part of the regional water management infrastructure. 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 all discharges from agglomerations with a population equivalent (PE) between 2,000 and 10,000, which aligns with the plant's service population. The plant has a designed capacity of 2,300 cubic meters per day, and the reported discharge volume is 416.87 cubic meters per day. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Tagus River basin, one of the major river systems in the Iberian Peninsula. The Tagus River flows westward through Spain and Portugal, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon. The plant's operations contribute to protecting the water quality of the Tagus basin and its downstream ecosystems, including estuarine and coastal environments.

The plant discharges into the Tagus River basin, which flows through central Spain and Portugal before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. The Tagus River supports diverse aquatic life and is an important water resource for agriculture and urban supply. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollution and nutrient loads, protecting downstream water quality and the ecological health of the river and its estuary.