Genola Wastewater Treatment Plant | Piemonte, Italy

The Genola wastewater treatment plant is located in the town of Genola, in the province of Cuneo, Piemonte region of northwestern Italy. It serves a population of approximately 2,500 people, reflecting a small-scale municipal facility typical of rural Italian communities. As a secondary treatment plant, Genola provides biological treatment to remove organic matter and suspended solids. The plant has a designed capacity of 2,600 m³/day and currently discharges an average volume of 925.49 m³/day. Under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), agglomerations of this size are required to provide secondary treatment, which Genola meets. The treated effluent from the plant is discharged into local watercourses that eventually drain into the Po River basin, one of Italy's most important watersheds. The Po River flows eastward across northern Italy into the Adriatic Sea, supporting extensive agricultural and ecological systems along its course.

The plant discharges into small tributaries of the Po River basin, which ultimately flows into the Adriatic Sea. The Po basin is a densely populated and agriculturally intensive region, making nutrient management critical to prevent eutrophication in the Adriatic. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic load, but without tertiary nutrient removal, nitrogen and phosphorus may still reach sensitive downstream waters.