Mesocco San Bernardino Wastewater Treatment Plant, San Bernardino, Graubünden

Mesocco San Bernardino is an advanced wastewater treatment plant located in the village of San Bernardino, within the municipality of Mesocco in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The plant serves a small population of 927 residents and is situated in the alpine region of the Swiss Alps, near the San Bernardino Pass. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond secondary treatment to remove nutrients and other pollutants, ensuring high-quality effluent. With a designed capacity of 3,200 m³/day and a current discharge volume of 420.79 m³/day, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth. As a Swiss facility, it adheres to the Swiss Water Protection Act (Gewässerschutzgesetz), which mandates strict effluent standards for all wastewater treatment plants. The treated effluent is discharged into local streams that feed into the Moësa River, a tributary of the Ticino River, which ultimately flows into Lake Maggiore and then the Po River in Italy. The plant plays a crucial role in protecting the sensitive alpine aquatic ecosystems and downstream water quality in the Po River basin.

The plant discharges into local streams that flow into the Moësa River, a tributary of the Ticino River. The Ticino River crosses into Italy and empties into Lake Maggiore, a large subalpine lake, before joining the Po River. The alpine watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including brown trout and other cold-water species, and the advanced treatment helps maintain water quality in this ecologically sensitive region.