MAQUEDA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Maqueda, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

The MAQUEDA wastewater treatment plant is located in the town of Maqueda, in the province of Toledo, within the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. This facility serves a population of approximately 1,920 residents, making it a small-scale municipal treatment plant. As a secondary treatment plant, MAQUEDA employs biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids, meeting the standards required under the European Union's Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). For small agglomerations like Maqueda, secondary treatment is the standard requirement, ensuring that the effluent is suitable for discharge into inland waters. The treated wastewater is discharged into the local hydrological network, which ultimately drains into the Tagus River basin. The Tagus River is one of the longest rivers in the Iberian Peninsula, flowing through central Spain and into Portugal before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. The plant plays a crucial role in protecting the water quality of the Tagus basin and its downstream ecosystems.

The MAQUEDA plant discharges into the Tagus River basin, which flows westward through Spain and Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean. The Tagus River supports diverse aquatic life and is an important water resource for agriculture and urban areas. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loading and organic pollution, contributing to the ecological health of the river and its downstream estuary.