The Sarno, known as ''Sarnus'' to the Romans, is a stream that passes through

Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...

to the south of the Italian city of Naples. It is considered the most polluted river in Europe. It flows about from the base of Mt. Sarno to the

Bay of Naples A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

collecting water from the Solofrana and Cavaiola tributaries during the course of its flow. It is still partially used for irrigation, as well as the transportation of goods and fishing. It is part of the Sarno river basin, which covers about . The Sarno is one the most polluted rivers in Europe, due to agricultural waste and insufficiently treated industrial waste water.Peter Greenberg, ''Don't Go There! The Travel Detective's Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World''. St Martins Press, 2008, S. 27–28 There are about 500 small industrial units in the area which still emit pollute. Water treatment plants have been installed, however, they do not work to full capacity. The mouth of the river continues to make bathing in the sea impossible, despite numerous protests. The plain at the mouth of the river was the site of the Battle of the Sarno, fought in 1460.

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Sarno River: Italy
SOURCE: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Bethesda, MD, USA Rivers of the Province of Naples Rivers of the Province of Salerno Rivers of Italy Drainage basins of the Tyrrhenian Sea {{Italy-river-stub