ALPUENTE Y ALDEAS Wastewater Treatment Plant, Alpuente, Spain

ALPUENTE Y ALDEAS is a wastewater treatment plant located in Alpuente, a municipality in the La Serranía comarca of the Comunitat Valenciana, Spain. The plant served the local population and surrounding aldeas (hamlets) as part of the region's wastewater infrastructure. The plant provided secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 300 cubic meters per day, it was sized for a small agglomeration. Under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), secondary treatment is required for all inland freshwater discharges from agglomerations of this scale. The treated effluent was discharged into local watercourses that drain into the Turia River basin, eventually reaching the Mediterranean Sea. The plant's closure suggests that wastewater is now managed by a newer or consolidated facility, ensuring continued environmental protection for the region's water bodies.

The plant's discharge area lies within the Turia River basin, which flows eastward to the Mediterranean Sea near Valencia. The Turia River supports diverse aquatic life and provides irrigation for agriculture. The closure of this plant indicates a shift to centralized treatment, reducing the risk of localized pollution and protecting downstream ecosystems.