Horche Wastewater Treatment Plant - Horche, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

The Horche wastewater treatment plant is located in the town of Horche, in the province of Guadalajara, within the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. The facility serves a population of around 2,763 residents, classifying it as a small agglomeration under Spanish and EU regulations. The plant operates with secondary treatment, which is the minimum standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for freshwater discharges from agglomerations of this size. The directive mandates secondary treatment for all discharges from agglomerations with a population equivalent (PE) above 2,000, which Horche meets. The plant's discharge volume is reported as 380.25 cubic meters per day. The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse, which ultimately drains into the Tagus River basin, one of the most important 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 contribute to protecting the ecological health of the Tagus basin and downstream environments.

The Horche plant discharges into a tributary of the Tagus River, which flows through central Spain and Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean. The Tagus basin supports diverse aquatic life and is an important migratory corridor for fish species. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollution and nutrient loads, protecting water quality in the river system.