CHESTE Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cheste, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain

The CHESTE wastewater treatment plant is located in Cheste, a municipality in the Comunitat Valenciana region of eastern Spain. Serving a population equivalent of 19,321, the plant is part of the region's municipal wastewater infrastructure, handling domestic sewage from the urban area and surrounding settlements. As a medium-sized agglomeration under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), the plant is expected to provide at least secondary treatment. The directive requires secondary treatment for all agglomerations above 2,000 population equivalent, and more stringent tertiary treatment in sensitive areas. The plant's designed capacity of 1.00 unit supports its operational scale. The treated effluent from CHESTE is discharged into the local hydrological network, which ultimately drains into the Mediterranean Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream water quality, including the Turia River basin and the coastal waters of the Gulf of Valencia, which support diverse aquatic life and recreational activities.

The CHESTE plant discharges into the Turia River basin, which flows eastward into the Mediterranean Sea at Valencia. The downstream environment includes the Albufera de Valencia, a coastal lagoon and ecologically sensitive area that supports diverse bird species and aquatic vegetation. The plant's treatment performance is critical for maintaining water quality in this important wetland ecosystem and the adjacent marine environment.