Overview
Santa Caterina Albanese Macchie is a secondary wastewater treatment plant in Calabria, Italy, serving 595 people with a designed capacity of 600 m³/day and a discharge volume of 117.79 m³/day.
Santa Caterina Albanese Macchie is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Santa Caterina Albanese, in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. The plant serves a small population of 595 residents, reflecting its role in a rural or small-town setting within the region. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment stage required under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. With a designed capacity of 600 m³/day and an actual discharge volume of 117.79 m³/day, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating ample headroom for current flows. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Tyrrhenian Sea via the Crati River basin. Calabria's coastal and mountainous terrain influences the region's hydrology, and the plant's discharge contributes to the protection of downstream water quality and aquatic habitats.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into the local drainage network that flows into the Crati River, one of the major rivers in Calabria, which empties into the Gulf of Taranto in the Ionian Sea. The downstream environment supports diverse aquatic life and is important for regional biodiversity. The secondary treatment provided helps reduce organic pollutants and protect the receiving waters from eutrophication and other ecological impacts.
Frequently asked questions
The plant is located in Santa Caterina Albanese, in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy.
The plant serves a population of 595 people, typical of a small agglomeration in rural Calabria.
The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which drains into the Crati River and eventually reaches the Ionian Sea.
Under the EU UWWTD (91/271/EEC), agglomerations with a population equivalent of less than 2,000 require appropriate treatment. This plant's secondary treatment meets the directive's requirements for its size.
For small agglomerations in Italy, secondary treatment is standard, often using biological processes like activated sludge or trickling filters, as mandated by national implementation of EU directives.
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