CASTEL_GUELFO Wastewater Treatment Plant, Palazza, Emilia-Romagna

The CASTEL_GUELFO wastewater treatment plant is located in Palazza, a locality within Castel Guelfo di Bologna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The plant serves a population of about 4,004 people, placing it in the small agglomeration category under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). As a small-scale facility, the plant is expected to provide secondary treatment or equivalent as per EU standards, ensuring compliance with discharge limits for organic matter and suspended solids. The plant operates within Italy's national implementation of the UWWTD, which mandates appropriate treatment for all agglomerations above 2,000 population equivalent. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Adriatic Sea via the Po River basin. The plant plays a key role in protecting the regional water quality, supporting both agricultural and ecological uses of the receiving waters.

The plant discharges into the Po River basin, which flows eastward through the Po Valley and into the Adriatic Sea. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is an important agricultural region. The treatment plant helps reduce nutrient and pollutant loads, safeguarding downstream ecosystems and coastal waters from eutrophication.