DEP_BERTOLOTTI Wastewater Treatment Plant, Fornaci di Barga, Toscana

DEP_BERTOLOTTI is a wastewater treatment plant located in Fornaci di Barga, a frazione of Barga in the province of Lucca, Toscana, Italy. The plant serves a small population of 153 people and is part of the municipal infrastructure managed by the Unione dei comuni Media Valle del Serchio. It is situated inland, more than 10 km from the coast, and discharges treated effluent into the local watershed. The plant provides primary treatment, which involves physical processes such as sedimentation to remove settleable solids. With a designed capacity of 80 m³/day and an average discharge volume of 30.29 m³/day, it operates well below its capacity. As a small facility in Italy, it falls under the national implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires appropriate treatment for agglomerations under 2,000 population equivalent. The treated effluent from DEP_BERTOLOTTI is discharged into the Serchio River basin, which flows through the Media Valle del Serchio region and eventually reaches the Tyrrhenian Sea near Viareggio. The Serchio River supports diverse aquatic life and is an important water resource for the area. The plant's primary treatment helps reduce the pollutant load before discharge, contributing to the protection of the river's ecological health.

The plant discharges into the Serchio River basin, a major watercourse in Toscana that flows through the Media Valle del Serchio and empties into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Serchio River supports a variety of fish species and provides habitat for aquatic birds. Downstream, the river passes through agricultural and urban areas before reaching the coastal wetlands near Viareggio, which are ecologically sensitive zones. Primary treatment reduces suspended solids but does not remove nutrients, so the plant's discharge contributes to the nutrient load in the river, potentially affecting downstream water quality.