Althen-des-Paluds Wastewater Treatment Plant, Vaucluse, France

The Althen-des-Paluds wastewater treatment plant is located in the commune of Althen-des-Paluds, within the Vaucluse department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. This facility serves a population of approximately 2,000 residents, making it a small-scale municipal treatment plant typical of rural communities in the region. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, exceeding the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) requirement of secondary treatment for agglomerations under 10,000 population equivalent. With a designed capacity of 1,890 m³/day and an average daily discharge of 356.80 m³, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variations. As a French facility, it operates under national regulations transposing the EU directive, with permits issued by the local water agency (Agence de l'Eau). The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Rhône River basin, a major hydrological system flowing into the Mediterranean Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the region's water quality, particularly for downstream ecosystems and agricultural water use in the fertile Comtat Venaissin plain.

The plant discharges into the Ouvèze River watershed, a tributary of the Rhône River. The Rhône flows into the Mediterranean Sea via the Camargue delta, a ecologically sensitive area supporting diverse aquatic life and migratory birds. The advanced treatment helps protect downstream water quality in a region known for agriculture and tourism.