Overview
MORANA wastewater treatment plant in Santa Lucía de Moraña, Galicia, Spain, serves 1,781 people with advanced treatment. The plant is now closed.
MORANA is a former wastewater treatment plant located in Santa Lucía de Moraña, a parish in the municipality of Moraña, Galicia, Spain. The plant served a population of 1,781 and was designed with an advanced treatment level, indicating a high standard of effluent quality during its operation. Its designed capacity was 6,225 cubic meters per day, and it discharged an average volume of 322.8 cubic meters per day. Although the plant is now closed, its advanced treatment level reflects compliance with stringent European standards. Under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), agglomerations of this size (under 2,000 population equivalent) are typically required to provide appropriate treatment, and the advanced level suggests the plant met or exceeded those requirements. The plant's operational history contributes to the region's wastewater management infrastructure. The plant's discharge likely entered local watercourses that flow through the Galician landscape, eventually reaching the Atlantic Ocean. Galicia is known for its numerous rivers and estuaries (rías), which support diverse aquatic ecosystems. The advanced treatment would have minimized nutrient and pollutant loads, protecting downstream water quality and ecological health.
Environmental context
The plant's treated effluent would have discharged into local streams within the Umia River basin, which flows into the Ría de Arousa, a coastal inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. This estuary is ecologically sensitive, supporting shellfish fisheries and migratory bird populations. Advanced treatment helps reduce eutrophication risks and protects the marine environment from excessive nutrients.
Frequently asked questions
The MORANA plant is located in Santa Lucía de Moraña, a parish in the municipality of Moraña, in the province of Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain.
The MORANA plant provided advanced treatment, which goes beyond secondary treatment to remove additional nutrients and pollutants, ensuring high-quality effluent.
The plant's discharge would have entered local tributaries of the Umia River, which flows into the Ría de Arousa, an Atlantic estuary. Advanced treatment helped protect these water bodies from pollution.
As a Spanish plant, it operated under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which sets treatment standards based on population served and receiving water sensitivity.
For agglomerations under 2,000 population equivalent, the EU directive requires appropriate treatment. Advanced treatment, as at MORANA, is often implemented in sensitive areas to protect coastal waters and estuaries.
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