About the project

The population of Santa Maria continues to advance in the development of the Full Water Cycle that began in 2008 with the execution of a biological treatment plant with a capacity of 2,100 m³/day. In 2017, a remodeling of the facility was carried out to achieve a production of 2,500 m³/day, until in 2022, the execution of an expansion of the facilities was completed, and a comprehensive reform of the systems where the following can be highlighted:

• Expansion of the sanitation system with the execution of a new EE in Ponta Sino.
• Expansion of the treatment plant. (with biological treatment and tertiary treatment with ultraviolet disinfection) for the irrigation of gardens and leisure areas (golf courses).
• The opening of a new stage of production of ultra-filtered reclaimed water and reverse osmosis intended for irrigation.

An advance that will allow:

• Ensure the basic comprehensive sanitation service for the whole of a population in continuous growth.
• Support the service economy (Tourism), also growing.
• Boost the economy of the primary sector: constant and quality water resources for the agricultural sector, both conventional crops and all crops with high added value.

The project represents an important step in the achievement of the integral water cycle on the island of salt: from liquid waste to a product with high added value such as ultra-filtered, osmotized and disinfected reclaimed water. All this also promoting the energy transition through the use of renewable energy, in this case photovoltaic.

In addition, this facility is an example in terms of execution and operation of the Nexus Water-Energy-Food model, focused on the sustainability of the territory.

Extension 2022

Treatment capacity: 3,750 m³/day
Contaminant load to treat, BOD5: 500 mg/l
Service coverage: 8,000 inhabitants + 14,000 tourists
Investment: 4 M euros

We must also highlight the steps taken towards digital transformation with:

• The introduction of digital management tools for treatment facilities.
• The use of remote control and communications between the different facilities, allowing intelligent management of the systems.
• Process automation, alarm management and operation notifications.

The Santa Maria WWTP has a renewable energy production system, using photovoltaic panels, with an installed power of 300 kWp.

The photovoltaic system of the Santa Maria WWTP consists of 6 plants distributed in different locations:

• The main one located in Terreno with 432 plates with a peak power of 177.10 kWp.
• 302 distributed in different locations with a peak power of 132.8 kWp.

The production capacity of the facility is dimensioned to be able to cover 100% of the plant’s energy demand during the hours of greatest insolation, allowing the reduction of network consumption by up to 50%.

The project is complemented by the installation of an electric vehicle charging point, to supply renewable energy to the fleet of service vehicles.

The PV project is part of the development program of UNIDO and The Global Environment Facility (GEF).