MEINA_PISANO Wastewater Treatment Plant, Ghevio, Piemonte, Italy

MEINA_PISANO is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Ghevio, a frazione of Meina in the province of Novara, Piemonte, Italy. The plant serves a population of around 4,200 and has a designed capacity of 6,000 cubic meters per day, with an average discharge volume of 834.82 m³/day. It operates under Italy's implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment for agglomerations of this size. The plant provides secondary treatment, which typically involves biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. For a population of this scale, secondary treatment is the standard requirement under EU regulations unless the receiving water body is designated as sensitive, in which case tertiary treatment would be mandated. The plant's discharge volume is well below its designed capacity, indicating operational headroom. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into Lake Maggiore, a large subalpine lake shared with Switzerland. Lake Maggiore is part of the Po River basin and supports diverse aquatic life, including endemic fish species. The plant's location inland and away from the coast reduces direct marine impact, but its discharge contributes to the lake's nutrient balance and water quality.

The plant discharges into the local drainage network that flows into Lake Maggiore, one of Italy's largest and deepest lakes, which then drains via the Ticino River into the Po River and ultimately the Adriatic Sea. Lake Maggiore is ecologically sensitive, supporting diverse aquatic flora and fauna, including migratory fish species. The secondary treatment provided helps reduce organic pollution and nutrient loading, protecting the lake's water quality and downstream ecosystems.