MONGHIDORO_LA_CASELLA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Piamaggio, Italy

MONGHIDORO_LA_CASELLA is an advanced wastewater treatment plant located in the hamlet of Piamaggio, within the municipality of Monghidoro in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The plant serves a small community of approximately 3,358 people and is part of the municipal wastewater infrastructure managed by the Unione dei comuni Savena-Idice. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond secondary treatment to remove nutrients and other pollutants, ensuring high-quality effluent. With a designed capacity of 3,300 m³/day and an actual discharge volume of 664.77 m³/day, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variations. As an Italian facility, it operates under the national implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which mandates appropriate treatment levels based on the sensitivity of receiving waters. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Savena River, a tributary of the Idice River, which flows into the Reno River and then into the Adriatic Sea. The plant plays a crucial role in protecting the water quality of these rivers and the downstream ecosystem, supporting aquatic life and preventing eutrophication in the Adriatic coastal zone.

The plant discharges into the Savena-Idice river system, which flows through the Apennine foothills into the Reno River and eventually reaches the Adriatic Sea. This watershed supports diverse aquatic habitats and is important for regional biodiversity. The advanced treatment helps minimize nutrient loading, protecting downstream water bodies from eutrophication and maintaining ecological balance in the coastal marine environment.