Canale Valpone Wastewater Treatment Plant, Canale, Piemonte, Italy

The Canale Valpone wastewater treatment plant is located in Canale, a town in the Piemonte region of northwestern Italy. The facility serves a population of 4,550 and operates under Italy's implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment for agglomerations of this size. The plant's designed capacity is 4,800 m³/day, with an average daily discharge volume of 284.09 m³/day. The plant provides secondary treatment, which typically involves biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids. As an inland facility, it does not discharge directly to coastal waters. The plant's operations are regulated under Italian national legislation that transposes the EU directive, ensuring compliance with effluent standards for inland receiving waters. The treated effluent from Canale Valpone is discharged into local waterways that eventually drain into the Po River basin, one of Italy's most important river systems. The Po River flows eastward across northern Italy before emptying into the Adriatic Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of the Po basin, which supports agriculture, industry, and diverse aquatic ecosystems.

The Canale Valpone plant discharges into local tributaries that feed into the Po River, which flows through the Po Valley and ultimately reaches the Adriatic Sea. The Po basin is a densely populated and agriculturally intensive region, making wastewater treatment critical for maintaining water quality. The river supports diverse aquatic life and is an important migratory corridor for fish species. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic pollution loads, mitigating eutrophication risks in downstream waters.