DEP_COM_CAVE_DI_PEPERINO Wastewater Treatment Plant, Marino, Lazio, Italy

DEP_COM_CAVE_DI_PEPERINO is an advanced wastewater treatment plant located in Marino, within the Lazio region of central Italy. The facility serves a population of approximately 3,500 residents and has a designed capacity of 6,000 cubic meters per day, with an actual discharge volume of about 693 m³/day, indicating operational headroom. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond secondary treatment to remove nutrients and other pollutants. As an Italian facility, it operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires advanced treatment for discharges into sensitive areas. For a plant serving a small agglomeration of this size, the directive mandates at least secondary treatment, and the advanced level here suggests a sensitive receiving environment. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain toward the Tyrrhenian Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of the region's streams and the downstream coastal environment, supporting aquatic life and recreational uses in the Lazio area.

The plant discharges into local streams that flow toward the Tyrrhenian Sea, a semi-enclosed basin with limited water exchange. The Lazio region features karstic geology and sensitive coastal lagoons, making nutrient removal critical to prevent eutrophication. The advanced treatment helps protect downstream aquatic ecosystems and supports biodiversity in the Mediterranean coastal zone.