Overview
GUADALEST wastewater treatment plant in el Castell de Guadalest, Spain, is a closed secondary treatment facility with a designed capacity of 1,942 m³/day, located within 10 km of the coast.
GUADALEST is a wastewater treatment plant located in el Castell de Guadalest, a municipality in the Comunitat Valenciana region of Spain. The plant served the local population and was designed with a capacity of 1,942 m³/day, reflecting its role in managing wastewater from this inland town. As a secondary treatment facility, it provided biological treatment to reduce organic matter and suspended solids before discharge. The plant is now closed, and its operational history falls under Spain's implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). This directive requires secondary treatment for agglomerations of this scale, with more stringent tertiary treatment in sensitive areas. The plant's coastal proximity would have influenced discharge requirements to protect marine environments. Given its location in the Marina Baixa comarca, treated effluent likely drained into local streams or the Mediterranean Sea via the Algar River or similar watercourses. The area is known for its tourism and ecological value, with coastal waters supporting diverse marine life and recreational activities.
Environmental context
The plant is situated in the Marina Baixa region, where watercourses flow from the mountainous interior to the Mediterranean Sea. The receiving waters likely include the Algar River or its tributaries, which drain into the coastal waters of the Costa Blanca. This area supports seagrass meadows and fish nurseries, making nutrient and pathogen control critical for ecosystem health. The plant's coastal proximity (within 10 km) underscores the importance of effective treatment to prevent eutrophication and protect bathing water quality.
Frequently asked questions
The GUADALEST plant is located in el Castell de Guadalest, a municipality in the Marina Baixa comarca of the Comunitat Valenciana, Spain.
The plant has a designed capacity of 1,942 m³ per day, indicating it served a relatively small agglomeration.
The plant likely discharged treated effluent into local watercourses that flow toward the Mediterranean Sea, given its coastal proximity.
As a Spanish plant, it operated under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which mandates secondary treatment for agglomerations of this scale.
Under the EU UWWTD, secondary treatment is standard for agglomerations above 2,000 population equivalent, with tertiary treatment required in sensitive areas.
Nearby plants