DEP_COM_RIO_PEPE Wastewater Treatment Plant, Palestrina, Lazio, Italy

DEP_COM_RIO_PEPE is a wastewater treatment plant located in Palestrina, a town in the Lazio region of Italy. The plant serves a population of approximately 6,500 residents, classifying it as a small to medium agglomeration under European Union regulations. Its location in the metropolitan area of Rome places it within a region with well-developed water infrastructure. As a plant serving fewer than 10,000 people, it falls under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires appropriate treatment before discharge. The directive mandates secondary treatment for inland freshwater discharges from agglomerations of this scale. The plant's designed capacity is 1.00, though the unit is unspecified, indicating it is sized to handle the local wastewater load. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Tyrrhenian Sea via the Tiber River basin. The Tiber River is a major watercourse in central Italy, supporting diverse aquatic life and providing water for agriculture and urban use downstream. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of this ecologically and economically important river system.

The plant discharges into the Tiber River basin, which flows through Lazio and into the Tyrrhenian Sea near Rome. The Tiber River supports a variety of fish species and is an important migratory corridor for birds. The downstream environment includes coastal wetlands and marine habitats that benefit from controlled nutrient and pollutant loads. Proper treatment helps prevent eutrophication and maintains the ecological balance of the river and sea.