Overview
PRAHINS wastewater treatment plant in Donneloye, Vaud, Switzerland, serves 200 people with secondary treatment. It discharges 90.78 m³/day and has a designed capacity of 467.00 m³/day.
PRAHINS is a wastewater treatment plant located in the village of Prahins, part of the municipality of Donneloye in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. The plant serves a small population of 200 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community within the Jura-Nord vaudois district. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 467.00 m³/day and an actual discharge volume of 90.78 m³/day, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating ample headroom for future growth or seasonal variations. Swiss wastewater treatment plants are regulated under the Federal Water Protection Act (Gewässerschutzgesetz), which mandates stringent effluent standards to protect water resources. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Rhône River basin via the Broye or Mentue rivers, eventually reaching Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) and the Mediterranean Sea. The plant's operation helps protect the sensitive aquatic ecosystems of the Swiss Plateau, supporting biodiversity and water quality in downstream environments.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into small streams in the Broye or Mentue catchment, which flow into the Rhône River and then into Lake Geneva, a large alpine lake with significant ecological and recreational value. The surrounding region is part of the Swiss Plateau, an area with mixed agricultural and forested landscapes. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads, protecting downstream water bodies from eutrophication and supporting aquatic life.
Frequently asked questions
PRAHINS is located at 2, Chemin du Rossan, in the village of Prahins, part of the municipality of Donneloye, in the district of Jura-Nord vaudois, canton of Vaud, Switzerland.
The plant serves a population of 200 people, typical of a small rural community in the Swiss countryside.
The treated effluent is discharged into local streams that are part of the Rhône River basin, eventually reaching Lake Geneva and the Mediterranean Sea.
PRAHINS provides secondary treatment, which involves biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids, meeting Swiss federal standards for wastewater treatment.
Switzerland's Federal Water Protection Act requires all wastewater treatment plants to meet strict effluent quality standards. For small plants like PRAHINS, secondary treatment is typically sufficient to protect receiving waters.
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