HUENEJA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Huéneja, Andalucía, Spain

HUENEJA is a wastewater treatment plant located in Huéneja, a municipality in the province of Granada, Andalucía, Spain. The plant serves a small population of 1,812 people and is classified as a secondary treatment facility. It is currently closed, but its designed capacity is 1,500 m³/day, with an average discharge volume of 328.42 m³/day. As a secondary treatment plant, HUENEJA was designed to meet the standards set by the European Union's Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment for agglomerations with a population equivalent (PE) between 2,000 and 10,000. Although the plant is closed, its infrastructure reflects the regulatory framework applicable to small communities in Spain, where treatment objectives focus on reducing organic matter and suspended solids before discharge. The plant's treated effluent likely discharges into a local watercourse that drains into the Guadiana Menor River, a tributary of the Guadalquivir River, which ultimately flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The surrounding area is characterized by a semi-arid climate and mountainous terrain, making water resources ecologically sensitive. The plant's operation would have contributed to protecting downstream aquatic habitats and maintaining water quality in the Guadalquivir basin.

The plant is located inland, more than 10 km from the coast, in the Guadix region of Granada. Treated wastewater from the plant would have discharged into a local stream that feeds the Guadiana Menor River, a tributary of the Guadalquivir River. The Guadalquivir basin supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor in southern Spain. The semi-arid climate makes water quality management crucial for sustaining local ecosystems and agricultural water reuse.