CAHORS 2 Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cahors, Occitanie, France

CAHORS 2 is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Cahors, in the Occitanie region of southern France. The plant serves a population of approximately 36,630, classifying it as a medium agglomeration under EU regulations. Under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), agglomerations of this size are required to provide secondary treatment as a minimum. If the receiving water body is designated as a sensitive area, more stringent tertiary treatment may be mandated. It operates within France's national regulatory framework, which implements the directive through the Water Law and associated decrees. The plant discharges treated effluent into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Lot River. The Lot River flows into the Garonne River, which then reaches the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. This waterway supports diverse aquatic life and is important for regional biodiversity.

CAHORS 2 discharges into the Lot River, a tributary of the Garonne River, which flows into the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. The Lot River supports a variety of fish species, including migratory fish such as salmon and eels. The watershed is ecologically sensitive, with areas of high biodiversity value, and the plant's treatment performance is critical to maintaining water quality in this downstream environment.