CASTELFRANCO_EMILIA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Castelfranco Emilia, Italy

The CASTELFRANCO_EMILIA wastewater treatment plant is located in Castelfranco Emilia, a town in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The plant serves a population of approximately 24,000, placing it in the medium agglomeration category under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). As an Italian facility, it operates within the national implementation of EU water regulations, which require secondary treatment for inland discharges from agglomerations of this size. Under the EU UWWTD (91/271/EEC), plants serving between 10,000 and 150,000 population equivalent (PE) must achieve secondary treatment standards. Italy has transposed these requirements into national law, and the plant is expected to comply with effluent quality standards for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and suspended solids. The plant's location in the Po River basin, a major agricultural and industrial region, means it must also meet additional regional water quality targets. The treated effluent from the plant is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Po River, which flows eastward into the Adriatic Sea. The Po basin is ecologically significant, supporting diverse aquatic life and providing irrigation for extensive farmland. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream water quality and the sensitive coastal ecosystem of the northern Adriatic.

The plant discharges into the Po River basin, which drains into the Adriatic Sea. The Po River is Italy's longest river and supports a rich ecosystem, including migratory fish species and wetland habitats. The downstream environment includes the Po Delta, a region of high ecological value that provides critical stopover sites for migratory birds and supports diverse aquatic flora and fauna. Effective wastewater treatment is essential to prevent nutrient loading and maintain water quality in this sensitive watershed.