PIGNOTTO_AMN_DEP Wastewater Treatment Plant, Amandola, Marche, Italy

PIGNOTTO_AMN_DEP is a wastewater treatment plant located in Amandola, in the Marche region of Italy. It serves a population of 1,858 people and has a designed capacity of 2,000 cubic meters per day, with an average discharge volume of 381.81 cubic meters per day. The plant provides primary treatment, which involves physical processes such as sedimentation to remove settleable solids. Under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), agglomerations with a population equivalent (PE) between 2,000 and 10,000 are generally required to have secondary treatment. Since this plant serves fewer than 2,000 people, primary treatment may be considered appropriate under certain conditions, though the directive typically mandates secondary treatment for discharges to freshwater. The treated effluent is discharged into local water bodies that ultimately drain into the Adriatic Sea via the Tenna River basin. The Marche region features a hilly terrain with numerous small rivers, and the plant's discharge contributes to the local hydrological cycle. Protecting downstream water quality is important for both ecological health and recreational uses.

The plant discharges into the Tenna River basin, which flows eastward through the Marche region and empties into the Adriatic Sea. The downstream environment supports diverse aquatic life and is used for agriculture and recreation. The Adriatic Sea is a semi-enclosed basin with sensitive ecosystems, including seagrass meadows and fish nurseries, making nutrient and pollutant control critical.