SAZE Wastewater Treatment Plant, Saze, Occitanie, France

SAZE is a wastewater treatment plant located in Saze, a commune in the Gard department of Occitanie, southern France. The plant serves a population of 1,656 and is part of the municipal infrastructure managed by the local authority. It operates under French regulations that transpose the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which sets standards for collection and treatment. The plant provides advanced treatment, which goes beyond the secondary treatment typically required for agglomerations of this size under the EU directive. With a designed capacity of 3,000 m³/day and an average discharge volume of 295.43 m³/day, the plant has significant spare capacity. This suggests it may also serve future growth or seasonal population increases common in the region. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Rhône River basin. The Rhône flows into the Mediterranean Sea, supporting diverse aquatic ecosystems. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect downstream water quality in this ecologically sensitive area.

SAZE discharges treated wastewater into the local water system, which is part of the Rhône River basin. The Rhône flows southward through Occitanie and into the Mediterranean Sea near the Camargue delta, a region of high ecological importance. The advanced treatment level helps reduce nutrient loading and protects downstream aquatic habitats, including wetlands and coastal zones that support migratory birds and fish species.