Project Coordinator: ECOFILAE

Country: France

Project Partner: Montpellier Engineering

Country: France

Industrial ecosystem: Agrifood

Summary:

Project REMJA aims to reuse a portion of the treated water from the Saint-Jean-de-Cornies wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to irrigate nearby municipal community gardens, covering an area of approximately 0,5 hectares. This initiative could save nearly 1 000 m3 of water per year that would otherwise be drawn from the Rhône River, in a context of increasing water scarcity.

To ensure the water is suitable for irrigation, a complementary treatment unit has been installed. It consists of an aerated filtration stage followed by electro-oxidation. Water quality analyses have been carried out, and the results confirm compliance with class A quality standards, in line with current French regulations.

The system is fully operational and performing effectively. The only remaining step is the issuance of a prefectoral decree to officially begin the reuse phase. Discussions are ongoing with French state authorities, and the approval process is moving forward positively.

This project is part of a broader ecological transition strategy, promoting the use of alternative local resources. The medium-term objective is to replicate this approach in other WWTPs in France (mostly regions where water scarcity is high in summer) and potentially across Europe to support more sustainable water management.