Posted on August 10, 2026
By Vera Viola
A major new project is getting under way to regenerate the River Sarno, which until a few years ago was considered the most polluted river in Europe – but is no longer so. The Campania Region has, in fact, published an open electronic tender for the conclusion of the four-year Framework Agreement dedicated to the ‘Strategic Programme for Environmental Regeneration and Flood Risk Mitigation in the Sarno River Basin’.
An action plan involving a total investment of €406,990,761.29, co-financed by the European Union under the ‘Cohesion Italia 2021–2027’ programme. The tender procedure, divided into seven lots, will be awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender.
This is one of two major projects relating to the river. The second, which is about to get underway, is the ‘Grande Sarno’ project, led by the Campania Region, which aims to restore the environment and ensure the safety of the river basin.
The other project, which is at a more advanced stage and is being managed by Gori, the implementing body, focuses on pollution control by upgrading the domestic sewerage network and wastewater treatment plants, with the aim of improving the water quality of the River Sarno and the Gulf of Naples, into which the river flows. It covers an area of 500 square kilometres with a population of around 850,000.
The Grande Sarno project is expected to increase reservoir capacity by over 5 million cubic metres by 2032. This is a necessity following the frequent flooding of recent years, which has caused damage to homes and agriculture. The plan also provides for the upgrading of flood control basins. Taken together, these works will ensure a hydraulic flow rate of 120 cubic metres per second at the mouth of the river, thereby safeguarding populated areas. Work will therefore begin with the dredging of the entire catchment area, divided into three main areas of intervention. The soil and materials removed during dredging will be transported to dedicated facilities for dewatering and treatment.
The timetable sets the deadline for the submission of tenders as 25 September 2026, with the contract due to be awarded by November 2026. The Framework Agreement, with a single economic operator for each lot, is due to be signed by December 2026, with the implementation contracts coming into effect from the same date. The works will take approximately six years to complete. It will also be necessary to demolish an RFI bridge and rebuild it.
‘This is a project designed to make the area safe: alongside the work carried out in recent years to clean up the river – a project now in its final stages – we are investing a further 400 million to restore the Sarno basin to its former glory, protect the environment and ensure a good quality of life for residents across the entire area,” says Mario Casillo, Vice-President of the Campania Region. “The restoration works on the River Sarno represent a strategic investment in protecting the environment, the health of our citizens and the safety of the region,” adds the Regional Councillor for the Environment, Claudia Pecoraro.
‘Energie per il Sarno’, a project launched in 2020, consists of a programme of works funded by the Campania Region to the tune of approximately 180 million, and by the Ministry of the Environment to the tune of a further 26.2 million, and is delivering tangible results: to date, the programme is nearing completion and has enabled an increase of 332,825 residents served by wastewater treatment, with 98 out of 113 discharges eliminated.
