CONA_PEGOLOTTE Wastewater Treatment Plant, Correzzola, Veneto, Italy

CONA_PEGOLOTTE is an advanced wastewater treatment plant located in the municipality of Correzzola, within the province of Padua in the Veneto region of Italy. The plant serves a population of approximately 3,504 people, placing it in the small agglomeration category under Italian and EU regulations. Its location near the Adriatic coast places it in a sensitive environmental zone where advanced treatment is required to protect coastal waters. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. With a design capacity of 6,000 m³/day and an average discharge volume of 693.67 m³/day, the facility operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variability. The plant's advanced treatment likely includes nutrient removal to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loads, which is critical for preventing eutrophication in the Adriatic Sea. The treated effluent is discharged into the local drainage network that ultimately flows into the Adriatic Sea via the Po River delta or nearby coastal lagoons. The Veneto region is characterized by a dense network of canals and rivers that drain into the northern Adriatic, an area known for its ecological sensitivity due to shallow waters and high biodiversity. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect downstream ecosystems, including fish nurseries and migratory bird habitats in the Po Delta and Venetian Lagoon.

The plant discharges into the local hydrographic network that drains into the northern Adriatic Sea, a semi-enclosed basin with limited water exchange and high sensitivity to nutrient pollution. The receiving waters support diverse aquatic life, including seagrass meadows and fish spawning grounds, and are part of an important migratory corridor for birds. Advanced treatment at this facility helps reduce nutrient loads that could otherwise contribute to algal blooms and hypoxia in the Adriatic.