ESTERRI D NEU Wastewater Treatment Plant, Esterri d'Àneu, Catalunya

ESTERRI D NEU is an advanced wastewater treatment plant located in Esterri d'Àneu, a municipality in the Pallars Sobirà comarca of Lleida, Catalunya, Spain. The plant serves a small population of 547 residents, reflecting its role in a rural, mountainous region within the Pyrenees. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond secondary treatment to remove nutrients and other pollutants. With a designed capacity of 3,300 m³/day and a current discharge volume of 899.30 m³/day, the facility operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variations. As a Spanish plant, it operates under the national transposition of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires appropriate treatment for discharges into sensitive areas. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Noguera Pallaresa River, a tributary of the Segre River, and then into the Ebro River before reaching the Mediterranean Sea. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect the sensitive mountain streams and downstream aquatic ecosystems, supporting biodiversity in the Pyrenean region.

The plant discharges into the Noguera Pallaresa River basin, which flows through the Pyrenees into the Segre River and then the Ebro River, eventually reaching the Mediterranean Sea. The surrounding watershed includes sensitive mountain streams that support diverse aquatic life, including native trout species. Advanced treatment helps minimize nutrient loading and protects downstream water quality in this ecologically important region.