LALINDE Wastewater Treatment Plant, Lalinde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

LALINDE is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Lalinde, a commune in the Dordogne department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. The facility serves a population of 2,240 and operates under the regulatory framework of the European Union's Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment for agglomerations of this size. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that significantly reduces organic matter and suspended solids. Its designed capacity is 3,600 cubic meters per day, and the average daily discharge volume is approximately 400 cubic meters, indicating ample reserve capacity. The plant is operated as part of the municipal wastewater infrastructure managed by the local authority. Treated effluent from LALINDE is discharged into the Dordogne River, a major watercourse that flows westward through the region and eventually reaches the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. The Dordogne basin supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor. The plant's secondary treatment helps protect water quality in this sensitive river system.

The LALINDE plant discharges into the Dordogne River, which flows through the Périgord region and joins the Garonne to form the Gironde estuary, the largest estuary in western Europe. This watershed supports a rich diversity of fish species, including migratory salmon and sturgeon, and is an important area for birdlife. The secondary treatment provided by the plant helps reduce nutrient and organic pollution, contributing to the ecological health of the river and its downstream estuary.