Foucherans Wastewater Treatment Plant, Dole, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

The Foucherans wastewater treatment plant is located in the commune of Foucherans, near Dole in the Jura department of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France. It serves a population of approximately 2,100 residents, making it a small-scale municipal facility. The plant is situated on Chemin des Anciennes Carrières and operates under French national regulations implementing the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. The plant provides advanced treatment, which goes beyond the secondary treatment standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive for agglomerations of this size. Its designed capacity is 4,000 m³ per day, and it currently treats an average daily flow of 374.64 m³, indicating significant spare capacity. The facility is inland, more than 50 km from the coast, and its treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse. The receiving water body ultimately drains into the Doubs River, a tributary of the Saône, which flows into the Rhône and then the Mediterranean Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting local streams and the downstream river ecosystem from nutrient pollution and organic matter, supporting aquatic biodiversity in the region.

The plant discharges into a local watercourse that feeds into the Doubs River, part of the Rhône basin. The Doubs flows through the Jura region before joining the Saône, which converges with the Rhône and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. The advanced treatment helps protect downstream waters from eutrophication and maintains water quality for aquatic life in this ecologically sensitive area.