LAGO ARIA DEI LUPI Wastewater Treatment Plant, Lago, Calabria, Italy

LAGO ARIA DEI LUPI is a wastewater treatment facility located in the municipality of Lago, in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, southern Italy. The plant serves a small population of 495 residents and has a designed capacity of 600 cubic meters per day, with an actual discharge volume of approximately 98 m³/day. It operates under Italy's implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires appropriate treatment for agglomerations of this size. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, going beyond the secondary treatment standard typically mandated for smaller communities under the directive. This level of treatment is often applied in sensitive areas or where higher effluent quality is needed to protect receiving waters. Its advanced classification indicates a robust treatment chain. The treated wastewater is discharged into the local hydrological network, which ultimately drains toward the Tyrrhenian Sea. The coastal location, within 10 km of the sea, means the effluent enters a marine environment. The plant plays a key role in protecting the coastal waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea from nutrient pollution and pathogens, supporting local marine ecosystems and recreational water quality.

The plant discharges into a small stream or coastal drainage that flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia. This coastal area supports diverse marine life, including seagrass meadows and fish nurseries, and is used for tourism and fishing. Advanced treatment helps minimize nutrient loading and pathogen release, reducing the risk of eutrophication and safeguarding bathing water quality along the Calabrian coast.