GUIJUELO Wastewater Treatment Plant, Guijuelo, Castilla y León, Spain

The GUIJUELO wastewater treatment plant is located in Guijuelo, a town in the province of Salamanca, Castilla y León, Spain. It serves a population equivalent of 50,000, classifying it as a medium-sized agglomeration under EU regulations. The plant is situated inland, away from coastal areas, and discharges into the local watershed. As a Spanish wastewater facility, GUIJUELO operates under the national transposition of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). For agglomerations of this scale, the directive requires secondary treatment as a minimum, with tertiary treatment mandated if the receiving waters are designated as sensitive areas. The regulatory framework ensures compliance with discharge standards. The plant's treated effluent is discharged into the Tormes River basin, which flows through the region and eventually joins the Duero River. The Duero River drains into the Atlantic Ocean at Porto, Portugal. The receiving waters support diverse aquatic life and are important for irrigation and local ecosystems. The plant plays a key role in protecting water quality in this inland basin.

The GUIJUELO plant discharges into the Tormes River, a tributary of the Duero River, which flows westward through Spain and Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean. The Duero basin supports diverse aquatic habitats and is used for agriculture and drinking water supply. The plant's operations help maintain water quality in this ecologically sensitive watershed, particularly given the region's agricultural activities and the presence of protected species in the river system.