Tierra Amarilla Wastewater Treatment Plant, Alcalde, New Mexico

Tierra Amarilla is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Alcalde, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The facility serves a small population of 382 residents, typical of rural communities in the region. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment process required under the U.S. Clean Water Act for most municipal facilities. With a designed capacity of 45.42 million gallons per year and an annual discharge volume of 45.43 million gallons, the plant operates near its design capacity. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Rio Grande, a major river system in the southwestern United States. The Rio Grande supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for agriculture and communities downstream, making proper treatment essential for water quality and ecosystem health.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Rio Grande, which flows south through New Mexico and Texas to the Gulf of Mexico. The Rio Grande watershed supports a variety of fish species and migratory birds, and its water is critical for irrigation and municipal supply in the arid region. Proper wastewater treatment helps maintain water quality in this ecologically sensitive river system.