VILLANUEVA DE LA JARA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

The VILLANUEVA DE LA JARA wastewater treatment plant is located in Villanueva de la Jara, a municipality in the province of Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. The plant serves a population of 4,364, classifying it as a small agglomeration under Spanish and EU regulations. The plant operates with secondary treatment, which is the minimum required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for freshwater discharges from agglomerations of this size. Secondary treatment typically involves biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The plant handles a daily discharge volume of 699 m³. The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse, which eventually drains into the Júcar River basin. The Júcar River flows eastward into the Mediterranean Sea near Cullera. The plant plays a key role in protecting the local aquatic environment and downstream water quality in the Júcar basin.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Júcar River, which flows through the province of Cuenca and into the Mediterranean Sea. The Júcar basin supports diverse aquatic life and is used for irrigation and drinking water supply. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic pollution, safeguarding the ecological health of the river and its downstream coastal zone.