Orusco de Tajuña Wastewater Treatment Plant, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain

The Orusco de Tajuña wastewater treatment plant is located in the municipality of Orusco de Tajuña, within the Comunidad de Madrid, Spain. It serves a population of 1,242 people, classifying it as a small agglomeration under Spanish and EU regulations. The plant is situated inland, away from coastal areas, and its operations are part of the regional water management infrastructure. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for freshwater discharges from agglomerations of this size. It has a designed capacity of 3,300 m³/day and currently treats an average daily flow of 832.97 m³/day, indicating available capacity for future growth. Secondary treatment typically involves biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The treated effluent is discharged into the local water environment, likely the Tajuña River, which flows through the region. The Tajuña River is a tributary of the Tagus River, one of the major rivers in the Iberian Peninsula, ultimately draining into the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of the Tajuña River and the downstream Tagus basin, supporting aquatic life and downstream water uses.

The plant discharges into the Tajuña River, a tributary of the Tagus River, which flows westward through central Spain and Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean. The Tagus basin supports diverse aquatic ecosystems and is an important water resource for agriculture and urban supply. The secondary treatment provided helps reduce nutrient and organic pollution, protecting the river's ecological health and preventing eutrophication in downstream reservoirs and estuaries.