For centuries it was a little citadel of innovation, in the times when the Serenissima imposed a precautionary quarantine, thanks to its anti-contagion structures and the presence of a number of cutting-edge technological advances. Today, the islandintends to follow an action plan in the new Millennium targeting energy conversion and experimentation on sustainability.
PLANT-BASED WASTE WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM
One of the first systems of its kind in Italy and still in the forefront of the sector today, this pilot project for the Venice Laguna was unveiled in Hanover, at Expo 2000. It is based on planting herbs that break down the pollutants contained in waste water, which is treated prior to its release into the laguna.
The use of plant-based waste water treatment systems is the optimal choice when, as in the case of the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo, one must cope with small, isolated settlements that undergo strong fluctuations in volumes of waste water needing treatment. In this specific case, there was also a need to implement a solution with low environmental impact, given its location in the laguna, in a predominantly natural setting.
The system installed at Lazzaretto Nuovo serves as a case study for an international pool of universities and scientific institutes.
Each year Franco Montalto – today a professor of Environmental Engineering in Philadelphia and involved in the implementation of the project during his Fulbright Research Fellowship in Venice in 1995 - leads a didactic workshop with classes from Drexel University: "After the planning stage, over the years it has become an open-air classroom for me, where we can study the application of ecology to provide a service as important as waste water treatment."