Sarno (river)

{{Infobox river

| name = Sarno

| image = Affresco romano - Pompei - Casa dei triclini - triclinio c fiume sarno.JPG

| image_size =

| image_caption = Personification of Sarno in Pompei

| source1_location = Above Sarno

| mouth = Tyrrhenian Sea

| mouth_location = Bay of Naples, near Pompeii

| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|40.7285|14.4692|region:IT_type:river|display=it}}

| subdivision_type1 = Country

| subdivision_name1 = Italy

| length_km = 24

| length_ref = Tommaso De Pippo, Carlo Donadio, Marco Guida, Carmela Petrosino: The case of Sarno River (Southern Italy): effects of geomorphology on the environmental impacts. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, Mai 2006 May, 13(3), S. 184-91, doi: 10.1065/espr2005.08.287

| source1_elevation = {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}}

| mouth_elevation =

| discharge1_avg = {{convert|10|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}} at Scafati

| basin_size_km2 = 715

| basin_size_ref = P. Montuori, P. Lama, S. Aurino, D. Naviglio, M. Triassi: Metals loads into the Mediterranean Sea: estimate of Sarno River: inputs and ecological risk. Ecotoxicology, 2013, 22, S. 295–307, DOI 10.1007/s10646-012-1026-9

}}

The Sarno, known as Sarnus to the Romans, is a stream that passes through Pompeii to the south of the Italian city of Naples.{{cite web |url=http://pleiades.stoa.org/places/433102 |title=Places: 433102 (Sarnus (river)) |author=Purcell, N., R. Talbert, S. Gillies, T. Elliott, J. Becker |date=13 September 2024 |accessdate=March 21, 2015 |publisher=Pleiades}} It is considered the most polluted river in Europe.[http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/07-26/water-pollution-facts-article.htm Water Pollution Facts] It flows about {{convert|24|km|mi}} from the base of Mt. Sarno to the Bay of Naples 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 {{convert|715|km2|mi2}}.{{cite journal | pmid = 23053925 | doi=10.1007/s10653-012-9483-x | volume=35 | title=Assessment of the environmental conditions of the Sarno river basin (south Italy): a stream sediment approach | journal=Environ Geochem Health | pages=283–97 | last1 = Albanese | first1 = S | last2 = Iavazzo | first2 = P | last3 = Adamo | first3 = P | last4 = Lima | first4 = A | last5 = De Vivo | first5 = B| year=2013 | issue=3 | bibcode=2013EnvGH..35..283A | s2cid=3427960 }}

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 pollution. 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.{{when?|date=June 2025}}

The plain at the mouth of the river was the site of the Battle of the Sarno, fought in 1460.