STURNO IMPIANTO DI STURNO - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Castel Baronia, Campania

STURNO IMPIANTO DI STURNO is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Castel Baronia, within the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. The plant serves a population of approximately 3,320 residents and is situated in the Terre dell'Ufita area, along the Strada Provinciale 235 della Valle Ufita. As a secondary treatment facility, it provides biological treatment to reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids before discharge. The plant operates under Italy's implementation of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), which requires secondary treatment for agglomerations with a population equivalent (PE) between 2,000 and 10,000 discharging into freshwater or estuaries. With a designed capacity of 4,476 m³/day and an average daily discharge of 657.24 m³/day, the plant has ample capacity to handle current loads. The treatment process meets the directive's standards for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses within the Ufita Valley, which ultimately drain into the Calore Irpino River and then the Volturno River, one of southern Italy's major rivers flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The plant plays a crucial role in protecting the water quality of these rivers and the downstream coastal environment, supporting aquatic life and preventing eutrophication in the sensitive Mediterranean ecosystem.

The plant discharges into the Ufita Valley watercourses, which flow into the Calore Irpino River, a tributary of the Volturno River. The Volturno River drains into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the Gulf of Gaeta. This watershed supports diverse aquatic habitats and is important for regional biodiversity. Secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads, protecting downstream waters from eutrophication and maintaining ecological balance in the river and coastal zone.