Efforts are underway to address the environmental emergency caused by the damaged sewage treatment plant in Tremosine-Limone, which has been releasing untreated wastewater into Lake Garda since the landslide on December 16th. The goal is to restore the functionality of the plant’s pipelines before the influx of tourists, ideally by Easter or at least before summer.
Work to repair the pipelines is currently taking place along the “Tremosine” tunnel on the Gardesana road. Despite the traffic congestion and inconvenience caused by the alternating traffic light, these works are necessary to resolve an environmental emergency that has been ongoing for over three months.
Since the closure of SP38 due to the collapse of the Strada della Forra, the pipelines have been discharging untreated wastewater from Tremosine directly into the lake due to the damage caused by the landslide. The treatment plant is only partially operational, able to treat wastewater from Limone but not from Tremosine.
The good news is that the repair work has finally begun. Excavation is taking place in the tunnel to lay a new pipeline, with an estimated completion time of 30-40 days. This will permanently secure the sewer pipeline by burying it along the 45 bis road, thereby avoiding further landslide risks.
Mayor Battista Girardi of Tremosine has stated that the medium-voltage power line supplying electricity to Limone and the treatment plant will also be secured along with the pipelines. Although the work is progressing quickly, it is currently not possible to predict the reopening of the road by Easter. However, once the tunnel work is completed, the construction area will be reduced to expedite the process.
The main objective remains to fix the damage and put an end to the discharge of untreated wastewater into the lake once and for all. In the meantime, there are no immediate solutions for the road emergencies caused by the December 16th landslide. The Strada della Forra, the main access road to Tremosine, will remain closed for a while as further investigations are awaited to decide whether structural reinforcement of the existing tunnel or the construction of a new tunnel will be feasible.
The situation remains critical, but it is hoped that with the ongoing work, the environmental emergency linked to the Tremosine-Limone sewage treatment plant can be definitively resolved and the full functionality of the system restored before summer.
