DEP_SAN_MARTINO Wastewater Treatment Plant, San Martino, Liguria, Italy

DEP_SAN_MARTINO is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in San Martino, a frazione of Stella in the province of Savona, Liguria, Italy. The plant serves a small population of 990 residents and operates with a designed capacity of 1,500 m³/day, currently utilizing about 13% of that capacity. It is situated in the hilly coastal region of Liguria, near the Mediterranean Sea. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations with a population equivalent between 2,000 and 10,000. Although the plant serves fewer than 2,000 people, it still meets secondary treatment standards, reflecting Italy's commitment to protecting coastal water quality. Treated effluent from DEP_SAN_MARTINO is discharged into local watercourses that flow into the Ligurian Sea, part of the Mediterranean Sea. The coastal environment supports diverse marine life, including seagrass meadows and fish nurseries, making proper wastewater treatment essential for preserving ecological health and recreational water quality.

The plant discharges into small streams that drain into the Ligurian Sea, a basin of the Mediterranean Sea. This coastal area supports sensitive marine habitats, including seagrass meadows and rocky reef communities. Effective secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads and pathogens, protecting bathing waters and marine biodiversity along the Ligurian coast.