RUEDA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Rueda, Castilla y León, Spain

RUEDA is a wastewater treatment plant located in Rueda, a town in the province of Valladolid, Castilla y León, Spain. The plant serves a population of approximately 6,138 people and has a designed capacity of 3,900 cubic meters per day. It operates under Spain's implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment for agglomerations of this size. The plant provides secondary treatment, which typically involves biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. This level of treatment meets the standard requirements for inland plants under the EU directive, ensuring that effluent quality is suitable for discharge into freshwater bodies. The treated effluent from RUEDA is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Duero River basin. The Duero River flows westward through Castilla y León and into Portugal, reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Porto. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of the Duero basin, supporting aquatic life and downstream water uses.

RUEDA discharges into the Duero River basin, a major watershed in northern Spain that flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Duero supports diverse aquatic ecosystems and is important for irrigation and drinking water supply. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic pollution, protecting the river's ecological health and downstream communities.