BECERREA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Becerreá, Galicia, Spain

BECERREA is a wastewater treatment plant located in the municipality of Becerreá, within the province of Lugo in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. The facility was designed to serve a population of 2,691 and has a designed capacity of 2,500 cubic meters per day, with an average discharge volume of 836 cubic meters per day. The plant provided advanced treatment, reflecting a high level of pollutant removal. As a Spanish facility, the plant operated under the national transposition of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires appropriate treatment based on the size of the agglomeration and the sensitivity of the receiving environment. For a small agglomeration like Becerreá, secondary treatment is typically sufficient, but the plant employed advanced treatment, indicating a commitment to higher environmental standards. The treated effluent from the plant discharges into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Atlantic Ocean via the Miño River basin. Galicia's rivers are ecologically significant, supporting diverse aquatic life and providing important habitats for migratory fish species. The advanced treatment helps protect these downstream ecosystems from nutrient pollution and other contaminants.

The plant is located inland in the Os Ancares region of Galicia, within the Miño River basin. The receiving water body is likely a small tributary of the Miño, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean near the border with Portugal. The region is characterized by mountainous terrain and high rainfall, making water quality protection crucial for downstream ecosystems, including the ecologically sensitive Miño estuary.