SAINT JEAN DE GONVILLE Wastewater Treatment Plant, Saint-Jean-de-Gonville, France

The SAINT JEAN DE GONVILLE wastewater treatment plant is located in Saint-Jean-de-Gonville, within the Ain department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. The facility serves a population of approximately 2,950 residents and has a designed capacity of 2,250 cubic meters per day, with an average discharge volume of 526.27 cubic meters per day. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which exceed the secondary treatment requirements mandated by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. Under this directive, plants serving between 2,000 and 10,000 population equivalent are typically required to provide secondary treatment, but the advanced level here indicates additional nutrient removal or polishing steps. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Rhône River basin. The Rhône flows southward through southeastern France, passing through Lyon and eventually reaching the Mediterranean Sea near the Camargue delta. This region supports diverse aquatic ecosystems and is an important migratory corridor for fish species.

The plant discharges into the local watercourse that feeds into the Rhône River basin. The Rhône is one of Europe's major rivers, flowing through the French Alps and agricultural plains before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. The downstream environment includes the Camargue delta, a vast wetland complex that supports diverse birdlife and aquatic species. The advanced treatment helps protect water quality in this ecologically sensitive region by reducing nutrient loads that could otherwise contribute to eutrophication in the Mediterranean coastal zone.