MANZANARES MEMBRILLA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Manzanares, Castilla-La Mancha

MANZANARES MEMBRILLA is a wastewater treatment plant located in Manzanares, Ciudad Real, within the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. The facility serves a population equivalent of 73,200, classifying it as a medium-to-large agglomeration under Spanish and EU regulations. As a plant of this scale in Spain, it operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which mandates secondary treatment as a minimum, with tertiary treatment required for discharges into sensitive areas. Regulatory compliance ensures appropriate treatment for the population served. The treated effluent is discharged into the Guadiana river basin, which flows through central Spain and eventually reaches the Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf of Cádiz. The Guadiana basin supports diverse aquatic ecosystems and agricultural activities, making effective wastewater treatment crucial for maintaining water quality and ecological balance in the region.

The plant discharges into the Guadiana river basin, a major watercourse in central Spain that drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The Guadiana supports a variety of aquatic life and is important for irrigation in the arid Castilla-La Mancha region. Downstream, the river flows through the Tablas de Daimiel wetlands, an ecologically sensitive area that relies on consistent water quality. Effective treatment at MANZANARES MEMBRILLA helps protect this downstream environment from nutrient pollution and other contaminants.