Valdelaguna Wastewater Treatment Plant, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain

The Valdelaguna wastewater treatment plant is located in the municipality of Valdelaguna, within the Comunidad de Madrid, Spain. It serves a small population of 1,602 residents, reflecting its role in managing domestic wastewater for this rural community. As a secondary treatment facility, Valdelaguna employs biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The plant has a designed capacity of 3,750 cubic meters per day, with a current discharge volume of 250.39 cubic meters per day, indicating ample capacity for current loads. Under Spanish and EU regulations, small agglomerations like Valdelaguna are required to provide appropriate treatment to protect receiving waters. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Tajo River basin, which flows through central Spain and into Portugal. The plant plays a key role in protecting the local watershed from untreated sewage, supporting water quality in the region's rivers and downstream ecosystems.

The Valdelaguna plant discharges into the Tajo River basin, which drains a large portion of central Spain and flows westward into Portugal, eventually reaching the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon. The Tajo River supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for agriculture and urban use. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic pollution, protecting the river's ecological health and downstream water quality.