CAYENNE Lagune Morne Coco Wastewater Treatment Plant, Remire-Montjoly, French Guiana

CAYENNE Lagune Morne Coco is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Remire-Montjoly, a suburb of Cayenne in French Guiana. The plant serves a population of 4,250 and has a designed capacity of 6,800 m³/day, currently operating at about 11% of that capacity with a daily discharge volume of 758.19 m³. As a secondary treatment facility, the plant provides biological treatment to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. French Guiana, as an overseas department of France, follows European Union wastewater directives, including the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment for agglomerations above 2,000 population equivalent. The plant's scale places it in the small agglomeration category, meeting the directive's standards. The treated effluent is discharged into the coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean, as the plant is located within 10 km of the coast. The surrounding watershed includes the Cayenne River and nearby mangrove ecosystems, which are ecologically sensitive areas that benefit from proper wastewater treatment to prevent nutrient pollution and protect marine biodiversity.

The plant discharges into the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of French Guiana, a region characterized by extensive mangrove forests and diverse marine life. The receiving waters are part of the Amazon-Orinoco plume zone, which supports high biodiversity and important fisheries. Proper secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads that could otherwise contribute to eutrophication in coastal waters and protect the sensitive mangrove ecosystems that serve as nurseries for fish and crustaceans.