Milan protects the long-term future of its agriculture thanks to the largest alternative water source in Europe

Milan is one of the most fertile regions of Italy. However, crop irrigation consumes almost 70% of its water resources. To safeguard the agricultural economy and at the same time protect the particularly fragile environment of the area, SUEZ set up a large plan involving wastewater recycling and the production of water for agricultural irrigation which has been in operation since 2004.Today, the balance of the ecosystem has been restored and farming in the Milan area is booming again.
The mission

Irrigate fields while protecting the water resources

22,000
ha
of crop growing land to be irrigated
21
months
the record time taken by SUEZ to design and build a water plant for agricultural reuse
Our solution

Recycling wastewater, an alternative resource for irrigation

The results
12,000
l/s
wastewater recycled during periods of rain
345,000
m3
wastewater treated every day, equivalent to the water consumption of one million residents. 
96,000
m3/h
air treatment capacity before return to surrounding environment 
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