MARINGUES Bourg Wastewater Treatment Plant, Pont Picot, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

MARINGUES Bourg is a wastewater treatment plant located in Pont Picot, near Maringues in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. The facility serves a small agglomeration of approximately 2,050 people, reflecting its role in managing domestic wastewater for this rural community. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. With a designed capacity of 1,800 m³/day and an average discharge volume of 365.72 m³/day, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variations. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Allier River, a major tributary of the Loire River. The Loire flows into the Atlantic Ocean, making this plant part of a larger network that protects downstream aquatic ecosystems and water quality in the Loire basin.

The plant discharges into the Allier River basin, which flows into the Loire River, one of France's longest rivers, before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. The Loire basin supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor. The secondary treatment provided helps reduce organic pollutants and nutrients, protecting water quality in this sensitive river system.