CROPANI_CASALINELLO Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cutro, Calabria, Italy

CROPANI_CASALINELLO is a wastewater treatment plant located in San Leonardo di Cutro, near Cutro in the province of Crotone, Calabria, Italy. The plant serves a small population of approximately 1,500 residents, reflecting its role in a rural or peri-urban setting along the Ionian coast. 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 designed capacity of 1,500 cubic meters per day and a discharge volume of about 297 cubic meters per day, the facility operates well within its capacity, indicating efficient management. The treated effluent is discharged into the local environment, likely via a watercourse or directly into the Ionian Sea, given the plant's proximity to the coast (within 10 km). This discharge supports the ecological health of downstream waters, including coastal marine habitats that are important for biodiversity and local fisheries.

The plant is situated in the Calabria region of southern Italy, near the Ionian Sea coast. Its treated effluent ultimately drains into the Ionian Sea, a basin of the Mediterranean Sea. The coastal waters in this area support diverse marine life, including seagrass meadows and fish nurseries, making proper wastewater treatment critical to prevent nutrient enrichment and protect aquatic ecosystems.