Overview
La Calmette wastewater treatment plant in Occitanie, France, serves 3,120 people with advanced treatment. It discharges 556.60 m³/day and has a designed capacity of 2,500 m³/day.
La Calmette wastewater treatment plant is located in the commune of La Calmette, within the Gard department of Occitanie, southern France. The plant serves a population of approximately 3,120 residents, classifying it as a small agglomeration under French and EU regulations. The facility employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive's minimum requirement of secondary treatment for inland plants. With a designed capacity of 2,500 m³/day and an average discharge volume of 556.60 m³/day, the plant operates well within its capacity. French wastewater plants of this scale are typically managed by municipal authorities or intercommunal syndicates, with oversight from the Agence de l'Eau Rhône-Méditerranée-Corse. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Rhône River basin and then the Mediterranean Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the region's water quality, particularly the sensitive karstic aquifers and surface waters that support diverse aquatic life in the Gard area.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into the local drainage network that feeds the Gard River, a tributary of the Rhône River. The Rhône flows into the Mediterranean Sea via the Camargue delta, a ecologically significant wetland. The region's karstic geology makes groundwater particularly vulnerable to contamination, so advanced treatment helps protect both surface waters and the underlying aquifer systems that support local agriculture and biodiversity.
Frequently asked questions
The plant is located on D 114 in La Calmette, within the Gard department of Occitanie, southern France, near Nîmes.
The plant serves approximately 3,120 residents, classifying it as a small agglomeration under EU wastewater directives.
The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which drains into the Gard River and ultimately the Rhône River and Mediterranean Sea.
The plant provides advanced treatment, exceeding the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive's secondary treatment requirement for inland plants.
The plant operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), transposed into French law. For small agglomerations like this, advanced treatment is often implemented to protect sensitive receiving waters.
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