VILALBA SASSERRA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Santa Maria de Palautordera, Catalunya

VILALBA SASSERRA is a wastewater treatment plant located in Santa Maria de Palautordera, in the Vallès Oriental region of Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain. The plant serves a small population of 1,590 people and is designed to handle a capacity of 4,040 m³/day, with an actual discharge volume of 845 m³/day. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond secondary treatment to remove nutrients and other pollutants. As a facility in Spain, it operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires appropriate treatment for agglomerations of this size, especially in sensitive areas. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which drains into the Tordera River and eventually reaches the Mediterranean Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the Tordera basin and the coastal environment from pollution, supporting aquatic life and water quality downstream.

The plant discharges into the Tordera River basin, which flows into the Mediterranean Sea near Blanes. This coastal area supports diverse marine life and is an important ecological zone. The advanced treatment helps reduce nutrient loading, protecting the river and sea from eutrophication and maintaining water quality for sensitive species.