PIANELLA_CASTELLANA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cepagatti, Italy

PIANELLA_CASTELLANA is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Villanova, Cepagatti, in the province of Pescara, Italy. The facility serves a population of approximately 1,200 residents and operates with a designed capacity of 2,000 m³/day, currently discharging 328.77 m³/day of treated effluent. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the minimum standard required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. As an Italian facility, it operates within the national regulatory framework that implements the directive, overseen by regional environmental authorities. The treated wastewater is discharged into a receiving environment that ultimately drains to the Adriatic Sea, located less than 10 km from the plant. This coastal proximity means the discharge contributes to the nutrient and pollutant load entering the marine ecosystem, which supports diverse aquatic life and is an important area for fisheries and tourism.

The plant's discharge flows into local watercourses that drain into the Adriatic Sea, a semi-enclosed basin with limited water exchange. The coastal zone near Cepagatti supports seagrass meadows and nursery habitats for fish species. Nutrient inputs from wastewater can contribute to eutrophication, making treatment performance critical for protecting marine water quality.