GATA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Gata, Extremadura, Spain

GATA wastewater treatment plant is located in the town of Gata, within the province of Cáceres in the Extremadura region of western Spain. The facility serves a population of approximately 3,100 residents, making it a small-scale municipal treatment plant typical of rural communities in the area. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment stage required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. With a designed capacity of 4,000 m³/day and an average discharge volume of 561.87 m³/day, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variations. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Tagus River basin, one of the major river systems in the Iberian Peninsula. The Tagus River flows westward through Spain and Portugal, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon. The plant's operations help protect downstream water quality and aquatic ecosystems in this transboundary river basin.

The plant discharges into the Tagus River basin, which flows through central Spain and Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean. The Tagus supports diverse aquatic life and is an important water resource for agriculture and urban supply. The secondary treatment provided by the plant reduces organic pollutants and suspended solids, helping to maintain the ecological health of the river system downstream of Gata.