Controversy Over Water Discharge Policy at Minicio River, Italy
Is the Minicio suspected of being an open-air sewer? This is the concern of mayors, managers of sublacual collector management companies, the Civil Engineering Department, and the Water Magistrate following the decree issued by the provincial ecology department head, authorizing the consortium wastewater treatment plant to discharge its residuals directly into the Minicio instead of the Seriola canal, which is now considered too polluted.
Decision and reactions on water management
“The ordinance is dated December 30th,” explains Umberto Chincarini. “Faced with the concerns we raised, we were told that the technician was, so to speak, compelled by law to adopt the measure given the current condition of the Seriola, the canal that acts as a collection point for treated discharges.”
“But this idea is unacceptable: redirecting the discharges to go directly into the Minicio cannot be seen as a solution; it would only mean that, in the future, we would be left with a river as important as the Minicio, which, it should be noted, has never been cleaned since the wastewater treatment plant was built.”
Chincarini thus convened yesterday morning the mayor of Valeggio, representatives from the Civil Engineering Department, the operational unit of the Water Magistrate, the Garda Regionally Managed Services company, Garda 1, and the director of the consortium treatment plant.
“Also invited to the meeting were representatives of the Province and of ARPAV of Verona, but they did not attend,” comments the mayor of Peschiera with regret. “Those present agreed on the need to undertake a different technical intervention to remediate the Seriola, starting from the Salionze dam to the consortium plant located in our municipality.”
Projects and environmental risks
“A solution already foreseen by a project of the Adige-Garda Reclamation Consortium, which the Region has delegated the responsibility for the Seriola, with an investment of four billion,” explains Chincarini. “Apparently, the measure, which must be authorized by the Basin Authority of the Po, is not aligned with the approach proposed by the provincial Ecology sector head, but it seems to be the only feasible option unless we accept the idea of a genuine environmental disaster.”
The effluents produced by the treatment plant do not cause chemical pollution but biological pollution. “And the plant is already prepared to discharge these effluents into the Minicio,” he adds. “This is why the meeting with the technical experts concluded with the signing of a letter addressed to the provincial president, requesting an urgent meeting and a review of the decree issued in December.”
Demands and future prospects
“Furthermore,” emphasizes Chincarini, “we asked him to intervene to expedite repairs on the Seriola, which, as I mentioned, has never been cleaned since it became the collection channel for the treatment plant’s effluents.”
The mayor of Peschiera hopes that Merlin will agree to meet with a delegation within this week. “The Province cannot continue managing emergencies without considering the real needs of the territory where they occur or impact, and ours is an area that deserves greater attention. Regarding the management of such delicate issues, perhaps one can accept, even if unwillingly, a financial disengagement, but the environmental aspect,” concludes Chincarini, “would be entirely unacceptable.”