IDL_BADIA_POZZEVERI Wastewater Treatment Plant, Altopascio, Tuscany

IDL_BADIA_POZZEVERI is an advanced wastewater treatment plant located in Badia Pozzeveri, a frazione of Altopascio in the province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. The plant serves a small population of 1,370 and is situated near the Autostrada Firenze-Mare, a major highway connecting Florence to the Tyrrhenian coast. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. With a designed capacity of 1,500 m³/day and a current discharge volume of 271.21 m³/day, the facility operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variability. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Tyrrhenian Sea via the Arno River basin. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect downstream aquatic ecosystems, including the wetlands and coastal areas of the Tyrrhenian Sea, which support diverse marine life and are important for regional biodiversity.

The plant discharges into the local drainage network that feeds into the Arno River, one of Italy's major rivers, which flows through Tuscany and empties into the Tyrrhenian Sea near Pisa. The downstream environment includes ecologically sensitive coastal lagoons and marine habitats that support diverse aquatic species. Advanced treatment at this plant helps reduce nutrient loading and protects water quality in the Arno basin and the Tyrrhenian coastal zone.