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From A2A an 81 million plan for the care of Calvisano's water: inauguration of the purifier

Mazzoncini: 'Italia still invests too little in the water cycle. In 2023 the average expenditure was 65 euros per inhabitant, well below the European 82 euros. There is still a lot to be done. We as A2a travel around 130 euros per inhabitant in the territory where we operate'.

by Laura Bonadies

10 March 2025

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - With the inauguration of the purification plant in Calvisano, a municipality in the province of Brescia with 8,000 inhabitants, A2a is accelerating its water treatment project, for which a plan worth more than 81 million euro is planned for the Brescia town alone. The new purification plant is already operational and by the end of the year the aqueduct will be in operation; subsequently, the entire sewage network will be completed. The purification plant lays the foundations to overcome the infringement proceedings initiated in 2014 and ensure compliance with EU regulations on wastewater treatment, enabling the avoidance of sanctions by the EU. This new infrastructure required an investment of 6.5 million euro, six of which were financed by the NRP. The Plan for the Municipality of Brescia also foresees EUR 21.5 million for the construction of the aqueduct and another EUR 53.6 million for the sewerage network. To date, 57.5 million euro have already been used.

The Project

In operation since January, the new treatment plant has a treatment capacity of 12,000 population equivalent (IE). It currently treats the waste water of approximately 2,000 inhabitants, including all the buildings in the southern part of the town, including the artisanal area. The plant uses advanced technology and contributes to the circular economy: the treated water is suitable for agricultural reuse and is discharged into three surface water bodies for irrigation. Everything has been designed with sustainability in mind. To eliminate unpleasant odours, the sludge pre-treatment and storage areas have been confined and kept under vacuum.

In the coming months, the position of the sewerage network will continue, which is essential to ensure a modern system that meets environmental standards. At present, 73% of the new network has already been completed (31.2 km out of a total of 41.5 km), while the northern area of the municipality and the connection to the hamlet of Mezzane remain to be completed. The use of innovations, such as microtunnelling, made it possible to carry out the works without interrupting the road system. The new system will ensure the separation of black water from white water and will have 11 lifting systems for the proper disposal of waste water.

To maximise the environmental benefit, all users located within 50 metres of the new infrastructure will be obliged to connect to the network. Once completed, the purifier will be able to operate at full capacity, serving the entire Calvisano community.

In parallel, A2A Ciclo Idrico is completing the new aqueduct, which will come into operation by the end of the year, replacing private artesian wells. It will be fed bythree new wells and reservoirs located in Viadana, Mezzane and the main town of Calvisano, with a capacity of 20, 15 and 30 litres per second respectively. For the network, which extends for approximately 48.8 km (of which 35 have already been laid), high quality materials will be used and monitoring stations are also planned to ensure constant control of water quality.

Mazzoncini, water management is a priority

"Italia still invests too little in the water cycle. In 2023 the average expenditure was 65 euros per inhabitant, well below the European 82 euros," explained A2A CEO Renato Mazzoncini. "In the same year A2A invested 130 euros per inhabitant, demonstrating how water management and infrastructure efficiency are a priority for us. We are working to reduce water losses, which on a national level record an average dispersion rate of 42%, and we are focusing on advanced purification plants. Today, purification plants are not just treatment systems, but tools of the circular economy: they transform wastewater into reusable water, for example in agriculture, and sludge into energy and heat. In recent years we have invested 120 million euros to overcome European infringements and, in our Industrial Plan to 2035, we foresee 500 million in investments in the water cycle for the Brescia area, of which 80 million to resolve the remaining procedures. Calvisano is a concrete example of what we can achieve in synergy with the local administrations".

It is no coincidence that the critical aspects of Italy's sewerage and purification systems have led to the activation of four infringement procedures for non-compliance with EU law in the last 20 years.

"Italia," explained the top manager, "has been in infringement proceedings since 2005 and even today there are still 930 situations with open infringement procedures . This of Calvisano is one of the virtuous cases where infringement procedures are overcome by doing what needs to be done: investing in water infrastructure. Unfortunately, there are not many such virtuous situations in Italia, and the proof is that when we started talking about water, two years ago, per capita investment at the national level was EUR 40-42 per citizen per year, and the only country that did worse than us was Malta. In recent years, especially after the drought of 2022, the level of investment has increased but we are still largely insufficient. To recover the standard we must stay above the European average; A2A is doing a very important job this year, we are travelling, in the area where we operate we are investing 130 euro per inhabitant.

National Scenario and Planned Investments

Calvisano is not an isolated case. As recalled in the Blue Book 2024 by Utilitalia and the Utilitatis Foundation, the sewerage networks and purification systems in Italia have shortcomings and criticalities that, since 2004, have led to the activation of four infringement procedures against Italy for non-compliance with Union law with reference to various agglomerations in the national territory. According to the latest data from the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, there are still 930 in infringement proceedings. Most of the procedures (677) are concentrated in Southern Italy, but cases of non-compliance are also registered in Northern and Central regions. To deal with this situation, in 2017 our country created the figure of the Single Commissioner, called upon to manage 741 interventions at a total cost of EUR 3.6 billion. Within this scenario, the know-how and the ability to invest of an operator such as A2A Ciclo Idrico are confirmed as valuable, as demonstrated by the experience of Calvisano. The inauguration of the purification plant is in fact part of A2A Ciclo Idrico's strategy. The company has invested 152 million euros over the two-year period 2022-2023 in the Brescia area, with a particular focus on purification plants and the reduction of water losses. In the 2024-2029 Intervention Plan, approved by the Ambito Bureau, a further 321 million euros will be invested in the province of Brescia, 80 million of which are earmarked for the completion of other purification systems to overcome European infringements in municipalities such as Bagolino, Visano, Acquafredda, Remedello, Pralboino and Pontevico. In addition, 123 million will be dedicated to reducing leakages water with innovative technologies.

Thanks to these investments, A2A Ciclo Idrico continues to promote a sustainable approach to water management, improving the environment and the quality of life of the communities it serves, confirming its willingness to share expertise and solutions for the efficient use of water resources with local communities and institutions.