CAHORS LACAPELLE Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cahors, Occitanie, France

CAHORS LACAPELLE is a wastewater treatment plant located in the La Capelle district of Cahors, in the Occitanie region of southern France. The plant serves a small population of 90 people, reflecting its role in a rural or peri-urban setting. As part of France's wastewater infrastructure, it operates under the European Union's Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) 91/271/EEC, which sets standards for collection and treatment based on agglomeration size. The plant provides secondary treatment, which typically involves biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 420 m³/day and a current discharge volume of 16.06 m³/day, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating low utilization. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Lot River, a tributary of the Garonne River. The Garonne flows into the Gironde estuary and then the Atlantic Ocean. The plant's location inland, far from the coast, reduces direct marine impact, but its discharge contributes to the overall water quality of the Lot River basin, which supports diverse aquatic life and agricultural activities.

The plant discharges into the Lot River basin, which flows into the Garonne River and eventually the Gironde estuary on the Atlantic coast. The Lot River supports a variety of fish species and is used for recreation and irrigation. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollution, but the small population served means its overall environmental footprint is limited.