Overview
La Pola de Gordón wastewater treatment plant serves 8,500 people in Castilla y León, Spain. It operates under Spain's implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
La Pola de Gordón wastewater treatment plant is located in the municipality of La Pola de Gordón, in the province of León, within the autonomous community of Castilla y León, Spain. The plant serves a population of approximately 8,500 residents, classifying it as a small to medium agglomeration under EU classification. As a Spanish facility, the plant is subject to the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), transposed into Spanish law via Royal Decree-Law 11/1995 and subsequent regulations. For agglomerations of this size (between 2,000 and 10,000 population equivalent), the directive requires secondary treatment as a minimum standard, with more stringent requirements if the discharge enters a sensitive area. The plant's treated effluent is discharged into the local hydrological network, which ultimately drains into the Bernesga River, a tributary of the Esla River. The Esla flows into the Duero River, which reaches the Atlantic Ocean near Porto, Portugal. The downstream environment supports diverse aquatic life and is part of the Duero basin, one of the Iberian Peninsula's major river systems.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into the Bernesga River, which flows into the Esla River, a major tributary of the Duero River. The Duero basin is the largest watershed in the Iberian Peninsula, draining into the Atlantic Ocean. The downstream environment supports diverse aquatic ecosystems, including fish species such as trout and barbel, and provides water for agricultural and urban uses. The region's continental Mediterranean climate influences seasonal flow variations.
Frequently asked questions
The plant is located in La Pola de Gordón, a municipality in the province of León, within the autonomous community of Castilla y León, Spain.
The plant serves approximately 8,500 residents, classifying it as a small to medium agglomeration under EU classification.
The treated effluent is discharged into the local hydrological network, which flows into the Bernesga River, a tributary of the Esla River, and ultimately into the Duero River and the Atlantic Ocean.
The plant operates under Spain's implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment for agglomerations of this size, with additional requirements if discharging into sensitive areas.
For agglomerations between 2,000 and 10,000 population equivalent, Spanish regulations mandate secondary treatment as a minimum, often involving biological processes such as activated sludge or trickling filters.
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