FALAISE Wastewater Treatment Plant, Falaise, Normandy, France

The FALAISE wastewater treatment plant is located in the town of Falaise, in the Calvados department of Normandy, France. It serves a population equivalent of 22,265, classifying it as a medium-sized agglomeration under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). The plant is situated inland, about 50 km from the English Channel coast, and its operations are part of the regional water management infrastructure. Under the EU UWWTD, agglomerations with a population equivalent between 10,000 and 150,000 are required to provide secondary treatment (biological treatment) as a minimum standard. For plants in sensitive areas, such as those discharging into nutrient-sensitive water bodies, tertiary treatment may be mandated. The plant's designed capacity is 1.00 (likely in thousands of cubic meters per day), indicating a moderate scale of operations. The treated effluent from the FALAISE plant is discharged into the local watercourse, which flows into the Dives River and eventually reaches the English Channel. The receiving water body supports aquatic life and is part of the regional hydrological network. The plant's performance is regulated under French national law, which implements the EU UWWTD, ensuring compliance with discharge standards to protect downstream ecosystems.

The FALAISE plant discharges into a tributary of the Dives River, which flows northward through the Normandy countryside before entering the English Channel at the Baie de Seine. The downstream environment includes estuarine and coastal habitats that support diverse aquatic species, including migratory fish. The region's agricultural landscape contributes nutrient runoff, making effective wastewater treatment important for preventing eutrophication in the sensitive coastal zone.