CAZALEGAS Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cazalegas, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

The CAZALEGAS wastewater treatment plant is located in the municipality of Cazalegas, in the province of Toledo, within the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. The facility serves a population of approximately 2,667 residents, classifying it as a small agglomeration under Spanish and EU regulations. As a secondary treatment plant, CAZALEGAS meets the minimum requirements of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for inland discharges from agglomerations of this size. The directive mandates secondary treatment for all discharges from agglomerations with a population equivalent (PE) greater than 2,000, which this plant satisfies. The plant's discharge volume is 931.00 cubic meters per day. The treated effluent from CAZALEGAS is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Tagus River basin, one of the most important river systems in the Iberian Peninsula. The Tagus River flows westward through Spain and Portugal before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon. The plant's operations help protect the ecological health of the Tagus basin by reducing organic pollutants and nutrients in the receiving waters.

The CAZALEGAS plant discharges into local streams that are part of the Tagus River basin. The Tagus River is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula, flowing over 1,000 kilometers through Spain and Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean. The basin supports diverse aquatic ecosystems and is an important resource for agriculture, drinking water, and hydroelectric power. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce the organic load and nutrient inputs, mitigating eutrophication risks in downstream reservoirs and the estuary.