Bioley-Magnoux Wastewater Treatment Plant, Vaud, Switzerland

The Bioley-Magnoux wastewater treatment plant is located in the municipality of Bioley-Magnoux, within the Jura-Nord vaudois district of Vaud, Switzerland. This small-scale facility serves a population of 121 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community. The plant is situated at 14 Route d'Oppens, near the border of the canton. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment required under Swiss wastewater regulations for small agglomerations. With a designed capacity of 283 m³/day and an actual discharge volume of 54.93 m³/day, the facility operates well below its capacity, indicating adequate headroom for current and future needs. Swiss wastewater treatment is governed by the Federal Water Protection Act (GSchG) and the Water Protection Ordinance (GSchV), which mandate treatment levels based on receiving water sensitivity. The treated effluent from the plant is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Rhone River basin via the Broye or nearby streams. The region's aquatic ecosystems benefit from the secondary treatment, which reduces organic pollutants and protects downstream water quality in the Rhone watershed, a major European river flowing into the Mediterranean Sea.

The plant discharges into local streams that feed into the Broye River, a tributary of the Rhone River. The Rhone flows through Lake Geneva and eventually into the Mediterranean Sea. The watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including fish species such as brown trout, and the treatment plant's secondary treatment helps maintain water quality in this ecologically sensitive alpine region.