VERZINO_CANAL_GRANDE Wastewater Treatment Plant, Parenti, Calabria, Italy

VERZINO_CANAL_GRANDE is a wastewater treatment plant located in the municipality of Parenti, in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. The plant serves a population of approximately 2,000 people, classifying it as a small agglomeration under Italian and EU regulations. It is situated inland, more than 10 km from the coast, and its treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that eventually drain into the Ionian Sea. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the minimum standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. The designed capacity is 2,000 m³/day, and the current discharge volume is about 396 m³/day, indicating that the plant operates well below its capacity. As a secondary treatment facility, it removes organic matter and suspended solids but does not include advanced nutrient removal. The treated effluent from the plant flows into the local drainage network, which ultimately reaches the Ionian Sea. The Calabria region is characterized by mountainous terrain and a Mediterranean climate, with rivers that are often seasonal. The plant plays a key role in protecting local water quality and preventing pollution in downstream water bodies, supporting both ecological health and human uses such as agriculture and recreation.

The plant discharges into the drainage basin of the Ionian Sea coast of Calabria. The receiving water bodies are small streams and rivers that flow from the Sila mountain range to the sea. This area supports diverse aquatic life and is important for local agriculture. The secondary treatment provided helps reduce organic pollution, but without nutrient removal, there is potential for eutrophication in downstream coastal waters. The plant's location inland reduces direct marine impact, but its effluent still affects the quality of rivers and the Ionian Sea ecosystem.