The news that has reignited the debate regarding the wastewater treatment plant on Lake Garda, particularly the possibility of constructing the facility in the territory of Lonato del Garda, has sparked a series of responses from local politicians. The latest statements come from three members of the city council: Christian Simonetti, the councilor for ecology, and councilors Laura Diletta Capra and Cristina Treccani.
Here are their full statements:
“The wastewater treatment project, which included the construction of two plants in Gavardo and Montichiari, has been abandoned after years of planning.
Now, the territory of Lonato del Garda is being proposed as a new site without prior discussion with the administration regarding the reasons, location, and method of implementation in Lonato.
The Lonato del Garda project still foresees the discharge into the Chiese River and the establishment of a photovoltaic field according to European directives, all of which would lead to significant agricultural land consumption in a valuable area.
Creating a single treatment plant undoubtedly offers advantages in terms of costs and efficiency, but the best solution would be to enhance the treatment plant in Peschiera.
This facility, managed equally by the Veronese and Brescian shores, once upgraded, would be capable of treating all wastewater from both the Veronese and Brescian sides.
The intervention is technically feasible and would entail considerably lower construction and management costs. Moreover, thanks to new available technologies, the new pipelines laid on the Veronese side, which result in reduced infiltration of parasitic waters, and the already planned enhancement of the pipelines in the Desenzano – Peschiera stretch, it would not be necessary to occupy new areas outside the existing plant site, which is already capable of treating volumes of sewage significantly higher than those it currently processes.
In this way, we would achieve the benefits of a unified intervention, avoid land consumption, and above all, prevent the discharge of treated waters into the Chiese River, which is already burdened by numerous critical issues currently being evaluated through a study on the ecological status of the river, funded by the 2023 budget from the Lombardy Region.
Indeed, if this study reveals that discharging into the Chiese is not feasible, the Lonato del Garda project would need to be revisited in favor of the Mincio.
In that case, what would be the point of constructing a new treatment plant in our territory near the border with Esenta?
I believe it is time to revisit the declaration of intent regarding the lake’s water levels, signed in 2017 by the provinces of Mantova, Brescia, and Verona, along with the municipality of Peschiera del Garda, maintaining a single treatment plant for both shores. This way, we would avoid wasting public resources and causing significant environmental damage.”
Italian Version
