PURCHENA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Purchena, Andalucía, Spain

PURCHENA is a wastewater treatment plant located in Purchena, a municipality in the Valle del Almanzora, Almería, Andalucía, Spain. The plant serves a population of 1,840 and is designed with a capacity of 2,000 m³ per day, currently discharging 333.50 m³ per day of treated effluent. The facility is classified as closed, though it provided secondary treatment during its operational period. As a secondary treatment plant, PURCHENA would have met the requirements of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size, which mandates secondary treatment for populations between 2,000 and 10,000 in freshwater areas. The plant's capacity utilization suggests it was designed to accommodate growth or seasonal variations typical of rural inland communities in Almería. The treated effluent from PURCHENA likely discharges into the Almanzora River, which flows through the Valle del Almanzora and eventually reaches the Mediterranean Sea near Vera. The Almanzora River supports irrigated agriculture and local ecosystems, making the plant's treatment role important for protecting downstream water quality and aquatic habitats.

PURCHENA's treated effluent likely enters the Almanzora River, a key watercourse in Almería that drains the Valle del Almanzora and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The river supports irrigated agriculture and riparian habitats, and its water quality is critical for local biodiversity and coastal ecosystems. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic load and nutrients, mitigating eutrophication risks in the receiving waters.