SAINT MAURICE DE GOURDANS Wastewater Treatment Plant - Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans, France

The SAINT MAURICE DE GOURDANS wastewater treatment plant is located in Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans, a commune in the Ain department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. The plant serves a population of approximately 4,450 residents and operates with advanced treatment processes, ensuring high-quality effluent before discharge. As a facility in France, the plant operates under the European Union's Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which mandates secondary treatment as a minimum for agglomerations of this size. The advanced treatment level indicates that the plant goes beyond secondary treatment, likely incorporating nutrient removal to protect sensitive receiving waters. The plant's designed capacity of 4,500 m³/day and actual discharge volume of 793.87 m³/day suggest it operates well below its maximum capacity. The treated wastewater is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Rhône River, one of Europe's major rivers. The Rhône flows southward through the Camargue delta into the Mediterranean Sea. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect the Rhône's water quality and the diverse aquatic ecosystems it supports, including migratory fish species and wetland habitats.

The plant discharges into the Rhône River basin, which flows through southeastern France and into the Mediterranean Sea via the Camargue delta. The Rhône supports diverse aquatic life, including fish species such as the European eel and various migratory birds in its delta wetlands. Advanced treatment at this plant helps reduce nutrient loading, protecting downstream water quality and the ecologically sensitive Mediterranean coastal zone.