COTEALTO Wastewater Treatment Plant, Scerni, Abruzzo, Italy

COTEALTO is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Scerni, a town in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy. The plant serves a population of approximately 2,800 residents, providing secondary treatment to manage domestic wastewater from the local community. The plant 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. With a designed capacity of 2,000 cubic meters per day and an average discharge volume of 554.30 cubic meters per day, the facility operates well within its capacity, ensuring effective treatment of incoming wastewater. Situated within 10 kilometers of the Adriatic coast, the plant's treated effluent ultimately reaches the Adriatic Sea, a semi-enclosed marine basin with significant ecological importance. The discharge contributes to the health of coastal waters, supporting marine biodiversity and recreational uses along the Abruzzo coastline.

The plant's treated effluent flows into local watercourses that drain into the Adriatic Sea, a key marine ecosystem in the Mediterranean. The Adriatic Sea supports diverse marine life, including fish, mollusks, and sea grasses, and is an important area for fisheries and tourism. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads, mitigating eutrophication risks in coastal waters.