Overview
CASTRES Melou wastewater treatment plant serves Castres, Occitanie, France. It treats wastewater for approximately 219,000 people under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
CASTRES Melou is a wastewater treatment plant located in Castres, in the Occitanie region of southern France. The facility serves a population of approximately 219,000, classifying it as a large agglomeration under EU regulations. The plant is situated in the Tarn department, an area with a mix of urban and agricultural land use. As a large agglomeration, the plant is expected to meet the requirements of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which mandates secondary treatment as a minimum and tertiary treatment in sensitive areas. The regulatory framework ensures that facilities of this scale are designed to achieve high effluent quality standards. The treated wastewater from CASTRES Melou is discharged into the local water system, which ultimately drains into the Tarn River and then the Garonne River, flowing toward the Atlantic Ocean. The plant plays a crucial role in protecting the water quality of these rivers and the downstream ecosystems, including the Gironde estuary.
Environmental context
CASTRES Melou discharges into the Tarn River basin, which flows into the Garonne River and eventually reaches the Atlantic Ocean via the Gironde estuary. The Tarn River supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor in the region. The plant's operations help maintain water quality in this watershed, which is subject to both agricultural runoff and urban pressures.
Frequently asked questions
CASTRES Melou is located in Castres, in the Occitanie region of southern France, near the Tarn River.
The plant serves approximately 219,000 people, classifying it as a large agglomeration under EU regulations.
The treated wastewater is discharged into the local water system, which drains into the Tarn River and eventually the Garonne River and Atlantic Ocean.
As a French plant serving over 150,000 people, CASTRES Melou operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment and potentially tertiary treatment in sensitive areas.
For large agglomerations in France, typical treatment includes secondary biological treatment, and often tertiary treatment for nutrient removal, especially in sensitive catchments like the Tarn River basin.
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