JIMENA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Jimena, Andalucía, Spain

The JIMENA wastewater treatment plant is located in Jimena, a municipality in the province of Jaén, Andalucía, southern Spain. Designed to serve a population of 953, the plant is now closed. It was built to handle a capacity of 3,112 cubic meters per day, with a recorded discharge volume of 172.73 cubic meters per day. As a secondary treatment facility, the plant would have met the requirements of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which mandates secondary treatment for agglomerations of this size. The directive aims to protect the environment from the adverse effects of untreated wastewater. The plant's discharge would have entered the local watershed, eventually draining into the Guadalquivir River basin, which flows into the Gulf of Cádiz. The Guadalquivir supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor in southern Spain.

The plant is located inland in the Guadalquivir River basin, which drains into the Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf of Cádiz. The Guadalquivir is a major river supporting wetlands and diverse species, including migratory birds. The plant's discharge, even when operational, would have contributed to the nutrient load in the basin, requiring careful management to prevent eutrophication.