EL ENDRINAL Wastewater Treatment Plant, Collado Villalba, Comunidad de Madrid

EL ENDRINAL is a wastewater treatment plant located in Collado Villalba, within the Comunidad de Madrid, Spain. It serves a population of around 74,701, placing it in the medium-to-large agglomeration category under EU regulations. The plant is situated inland, more than 50 km from the coast, and its operations are subject to Spanish and European Union wastewater treatment standards. As a plant of this scale in Spain, EL ENDRINAL is expected to comply with the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment for agglomerations of this size. The directive also mandates more advanced treatment if the receiving waters are designated as sensitive areas. The regulatory framework ensures that the plant meets minimum treatment standards to protect the environment. The treated effluent from EL ENDRINAL 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, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon. The plant plays a key role in safeguarding water quality in this basin, supporting aquatic ecosystems and downstream water uses.

EL ENDRINAL discharges into the Tagus River basin, which flows through central Spain and Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean. The Tagus River supports diverse aquatic life and is an important migratory corridor for fish species. The plant's operations help protect water quality in this ecologically significant basin, reducing nutrient and pollutant loads that could otherwise impact downstream habitats and human water uses.