CAYENNE CENTRE PENITENCIER Wastewater Treatment Plant, Remire-Montjoly, French Guiana

CAYENNE CENTRE PENITENCIER is a wastewater treatment facility located at the Remire-Montjoly penitentiary center in French Guiana, near the capital Cayenne. The plant serves a population of about 1,000 and has a designed capacity of 1,300 m³/day, currently discharging 178.40 m³/day of treated effluent. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment standard typically required for facilities of this scale. As part of France's wastewater infrastructure, it operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which mandates appropriate treatment levels for sensitive areas and coastal zones. The treated effluent is discharged into the Atlantic Ocean via local coastal waters, given the plant's proximity to the coast. The surrounding watershed includes the Cayenne River system and mangrove ecosystems, which are ecologically sensitive and support diverse aquatic life. Proper treatment is critical to protect these coastal habitats from nutrient pollution and other contaminants.

The plant discharges into the Atlantic Ocean via coastal waters near the Cayenne estuary. This region features mangrove forests and seagrass beds that serve as nursery habitats for fish and crustaceans. The advanced treatment helps minimize nutrient loading and protects the sensitive coastal ecosystem from eutrophication and harmful algal blooms.