MERICOURT L ABBE Wastewater Treatment Plant, Méricourt-l'Abbé, France

The MERICOURT L ABBE wastewater treatment plant is located in Méricourt-l'Abbé, a commune in the Somme department of Hauts-de-France, France. The plant serves a population of approximately 2,255 residents and has a designed capacity of 2,100 cubic meters per day, with an average discharge volume of 402.29 m³/day. As an advanced treatment facility, it goes beyond the secondary treatment requirements mandated by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. This level of treatment typically includes nutrient removal to protect sensitive receiving waters. The plant discharges treated effluent into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Somme River basin, which flows into the English Channel. The advanced treatment helps protect the aquatic ecosystem and supports water quality in the region's rivers and coastal environment.

The plant's treated effluent enters the local hydrographic network within the Somme River basin. The Somme River flows westward through the Hauts-de-France region and discharges into the English Channel near Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. The downstream environment includes the Baie de Somme, an ecologically important estuary that supports diverse birdlife and marine species. Advanced treatment at this plant helps reduce nutrient loading, protecting the sensitive coastal and estuarine habitats from eutrophication.