DEP_COM_VACCARECCE Wastewater Treatment Plant, Rocca Santo Stefano, Lazio

DEP_COM_VACCARECCE is an advanced wastewater treatment plant located in Rocca Santo Stefano, a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, Italy. The plant serves a small population of 200 residents, reflecting its role in a rural or peri-urban setting. Its designed capacity is 400 m³/day, with a current discharge volume of 39.59 m³/day, indicating significant spare capacity. As an advanced treatment facility, it likely employs tertiary processes such as nutrient removal or disinfection, exceeding the minimum secondary treatment required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). For small agglomerations like this (under 2,000 population equivalent), the directive mandates appropriate treatment, and the advanced level suggests a commitment to high effluent quality, possibly due to sensitive receiving waters. The plant's treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Tyrrhenian Sea via the Tiber River basin. The region's karst geology and proximity to Rome's water supply areas necessitate careful wastewater management to protect groundwater and surface water quality. The advanced treatment helps safeguard downstream ecosystems and recreational waters.

The plant discharges into local streams that feed into the Tiber River basin, which flows through Rome and into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The area is characterized by karst topography, making groundwater particularly vulnerable to contamination. The advanced treatment ensures minimal nutrient and pathogen loading, protecting aquatic life in the Tiber and coastal waters. The region supports diverse freshwater and marine habitats, including important fish spawning grounds.