PASTRANA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Pastrana, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

PASTRANA is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Pastrana, a town in the province of Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. The plant serves a population of 2,538 and operates with secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment for organic matter removal. The plant is situated inland, away from coastal areas, and its discharge volume is 600 cubic meters per day. As a small agglomeration in Spain, the plant falls under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment for all inland discharges from agglomerations of this size. The directive aims to protect water quality across European water bodies. Secondary treatment typically involves biological oxidation and sedimentation, ensuring compliance with EU effluent standards. The treated effluent from PASTRANA is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Tagus River basin, one of the major river systems in the Iberian Peninsula. The Tagus River flows westward through Spain and Portugal, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon. The plant's operation helps protect the ecological health of the Tagus basin, supporting aquatic life and downstream water quality.

PASTRANA's treated wastewater enters the local drainage network, which feeds into the Tagus River basin. The Tagus River is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula, supporting diverse aquatic ecosystems and providing water for agriculture and urban use. The plant's secondary treatment reduces organic pollutants and suspended solids, helping to maintain water quality in the basin and prevent eutrophication in downstream reservoirs and the Atlantic estuary.