GAVARDA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Alberic, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain

GAVARDA is a wastewater treatment plant located in the Urbanització Muntanya del Xúquer area of Alberic, in the Ribera Alta comarca of Valencia, Spain. The plant served the municipal wastewater needs of this inland community within the Comunitat Valenciana region. It is currently closed and no longer operational. The plant provided secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for inland freshwater discharges. Its designed capacity was 739 cubic meters per day, indicating it was sized for a relatively small agglomeration. Although the plant is now closed, the regulatory framework in Spain, transposing the EU directive, mandates that similar plants meet secondary treatment standards for discharges to freshwater bodies. The treated effluent from the plant was discharged into the local hydrological network, which ultimately drains into the Xúquer River (Júcar). The Xúquer flows eastward through the Valencian Community and discharges into the Mediterranean Sea near Cullera. The river supports diverse aquatic life and is an important water resource for agriculture and ecosystems in the region.

The plant's discharge entered the Xúquer River basin, which flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Xúquer is a major river in eastern Spain, supporting irrigated agriculture and riparian habitats. The downstream environment includes the Albufera de València, a coastal lagoon and ecologically sensitive area that relies on good water quality from tributaries like the Xúquer. Secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollution and protect these downstream ecosystems.