TIRIOLO_FERRITO Wastewater Treatment Plant, Gagliano, Catanzaro, Calabria

TIRIOLO_FERRITO is a wastewater treatment plant located in Gagliano, a locality within the municipality of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The plant serves a small population of 120 people, reflecting its role in a rural or peri-urban setting. Its location near the Ionian Sea coast places it in a sensitive coastal environment. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, going beyond the secondary treatment standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. With a designed capacity of 500 m³/day and an actual discharge volume of 23.76 m³/day, the facility operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal demand. As an Italian plant, it operates under national regulations transposing EU directives, with oversight from regional environmental authorities. The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which drains into the Ionian Sea via small coastal streams. The Ionian Sea coast of Calabria supports diverse marine life and is important for local fisheries and tourism. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect this coastal ecosystem from nutrient pollution and pathogens.

The plant discharges into the local drainage network that flows into the Ionian Sea near Catanzaro. The Ionian Sea is a semi-enclosed basin with limited water exchange, making it sensitive to nutrient inputs that can cause eutrophication. The coastal waters support seagrass meadows and fish nurseries, which benefit from the advanced treatment level that reduces nitrogen and phosphorus loads.