Descrizione 1
Eugenia Bartolucci, Chiara Fiori
The indicator describes the status of the 42 Contaminated Sites of National Interest (SIN), which together cover 148,594 hectares of land surface (0.49% of the Italian territory) and 77,136 hectares of marine areas. This issue affects all Italian regions, except Molise. As of 30 June 2024, for 65% of the total area of the 36 SINs under consideration, information is available on the progress of the procedures: characterization has been completed for 59% of the soils and 55% of the groundwater, while remediation/safety measures have been approved by ministerial decree for 13% of the soil area and 17% of the groundwater. Procedures have been completed for 17% of the soils and 6% of the groundwater. The information provided by the indicator outlines a representative picture of environmental conditions and societal responses in relation to regulatory and sustainability objectives.
The indicator provides key information on the Contaminated Sites of National Interest (SIN): the number, location, legal references for their designation and perimeter, surface area, and the progress status of characterization and safety/remediation activities. The SINs are identified for remediation purposes based on site characteristics, the quantity and hazardousness of pollutants, the environmental impact in terms of health and ecological risks, and potential damage to cultural and environmental heritage (Art. 252, paragraph 1 of Legislative Decree 152/06 as amended).
The progress of characterization and safety/remediation procedures is reported separately for soil and groundwater and is represented in three stages: characterization plan executed, safety/remediation project approved by MASE decree, and procedure completed. The latter includes:
- areas found to be uncontaminated following characterization investigations (C<CSC – Contamination Threshold Concentration) or site-specific risk analysis (C<CSR – Risk Threshold Concentration),
- areas with completed operational or permanent safety measures,
- areas certified as remediated.
To provide information on the characteristics of the SINs and the progress of soil and groundwater characterization and safety/remediation activities in contaminated sites recognized as being of national interest.
The management of contaminated sites in Italy is regulated by Legislative Decree 152/06 as amended (Part IV, Title V). This regulation identifies risk analysis as the key tool for defining and managing contaminated sites. The assessment procedure is structured in two steps:
- following preliminary investigations, comparison with tabulated screening values (CSC) for soil and groundwater matrices identifies potentially contaminated sites (C>CSC);
- subsequently, after detailed characterization and site-specific risk analysis defining new threshold values (CSR), the site can be declared contaminated (C>CSR) or not contaminated (C<CSR).
Current legislation does not set specific management targets for contaminated sites (e.g. completing the identification of contaminated sites nationally/regionally within a set timeframe or remediating a percentage of sites within a deadline).
Descrizione 2
Although the indicator represents the contaminated areas of greatest environmental and economic relevance, it does not provide an exhaustive picture of contamination and the progress of remediation efforts in Italy.
Processing of information related to the type of contamination sources and the type and degree of contamination in soil and groundwater matrices.
Qualificazione dati
National
2016 – June 2024
Qualificazione indicatore
Progress is referred exclusively to land areas and is generally expressed as a percentage of the SIN’s total delineated land area.
Compared to the previous update (30-06-2021), the total land and marine surface of SINs has decreased due to perimeter revisions carried out between June 2021 and June 2024 (Table 1), and the number of SINs with available progress data increased from 35 to 36 (Table 3). Also noted is a rise in the percentage of SIN area with known progress status (from just over 60% to around 65%, Figures 3 and 4).
There are also changes in the progress status for various SINs, not only due to actual procedural advancement but also to perimeter changes and updates by MASE. For instance:
- For 9 SINs (e.g., Venice - Porto Marghera, Priolo, Taranto…), progress was recorded in both soil and groundwater.
- For 4 SINs (e.g., Naples East, Manfredonia…), progress was recorded only for soil.
- In the case of Val Basento industrial areas, a decrease was observed mainly in groundwater due to verification and correction by MASE.
The trend analysis for the period June 2016 – June 2024 shows overall stability in the progress of remediation procedures. Most changes, both overall and for individual SINs, are due to perimeter adjustments.
Dati
Table 1: Sites of National Interest (SINs) – Legal references and surface area
ISPRA processing based on data from the Official Gazette and MASE
a – The numerical identifier represents the order in which the SINs were designated. Numbers not shown in the table refer to 17 sites for which administrative responsibility was transferred to the respective Regions via Ministerial Decree of January 11, 2013. The number is used in Figure 2 to identify the 42 SINs.
b – The official data provided by MASE for the perimeter of the SIN "Cengio and Saliceto" is under review by MASE. While awaiting revision, ISPRA uses an estimate based on the geometry of the perimeter published in the Official Gazette.
Updated June 2024
Table 2: Sites of National Interest – Distribution across Regions/Autonomous Provinces
ISPRA processing based on data from MASE and ISTAT
a – The surface area of the SIN "Cengio and Saliceto" is included only in the total, as the area falling within the territories of Liguria and Piedmont Regions is not known.
b – ISTAT data, 2024 update. The total represents the overall surface area of the national territory.
c – Three SINs fall entirely within the regional territory, while two SINs only partially, also affecting other regions (e.g., "Cengio and Saliceto" also extends into Liguria; "Pieve Vergonte" also into Lombardy).
d – Five SINs fall entirely within the regional territory; the SIN "Pieve Vergonte," however, only partially, also affecting the Piedmont Region.
e – The SIN "Cogoleto Stoppani" falls entirely within the regional territory; the SIN "Cengio and Saliceto," however, only partially, also affecting the Piedmont Region.
f – The SIN "Giugliano wide area," designated by Law 120/2020, was not yet officially delineated as of 31/12/2020. Therefore, the areas listed refer only to SINs "Napoli Orientale" and "Napoli Bagnoli–Coroglio."
Updated June 2024
Table 3: Progress status of soil and groundwater characterization and remediation/safety measures in Sites of National Interest (SINs)
ISPRA processing based on data from MASE
a – The numerical identifier represents the order in which the SINs were designated. Numbers not shown in the table refer to 17 sites for which administrative responsibility was transferred to the respective Regions via Ministerial Decree of January 11, 2013. The number is used in Figure 2 to identify the 42 SINs.
1 – The progress status of characterization and remediation/safety activities refers to 216 ha, not the entire SIN area.
2 – The progress status refers only to the plant area (77 ha), not the entire SIN.
3 – Due to the specific nature of the contamination in these SINs, activities mainly concern the characterization and safety of asbestos, fluoro-edenite, and/or asbestos-containing materials (ACMs).
4 – The progress status refers only to the plant area (42 ha), not the entire SIN.
5 – The progress status refers only to the areas within the Municipality of Crotone (543 ha), not the entire SIN.
6 – The progress status refers only to the industrial areas (10,639 ha), not the entire SIN which includes both mining and industrial areas.
7 – For the SIN "Brescia-Caffaro," two separate perimeters were defined for soil and groundwater, measuring 262 ha and 2,109 ha respectively. Progress statuses refer to each specific matrix. The surface area reported for the SIN is that of the soil.
8 – The progress status refers to the SIN area, excluding river and lake areas, amounting to 614 ha.
n.a. – Not applicable. The final remediation project for the entire SIN has been approved, specifically for asbestos (roofing and waste dust). The site is part of a census that is periodically updated.
n.d. – Data not available
Updated June 2024
Figure 1 - Progress in the identification of National Interest Sites
ISPRA
Figure 2 - Location and total surface area classes of National Interest Sites
ISPRA
Figure 3: Progress of characterization and safety/remediation procedures on the total land area of the SIN for soils
ISPRA
Figure 4 - Progress of characterization and remediation procedures on the total land area of the SIN for groundwater
ISPRA
The Sites of National Interest have been identified through regulations of various kinds and are generally delineated by decree of the MASE, in agreement with the concerned regions. The remediation procedure for SINs is under the jurisdiction of MASE. Article 36-bis of Law no. 134 of 7 August 2012 introduced changes to the criteria for identifying SINs (Article 252 of Legislative Decree 152/06 and subsequent amendments). Based on these criteria, a review of the 57 sites classified as of national interest was carried out and, with Ministerial Decree of 11 January 2013, the number of SINs was reduced to 39. Administrative responsibility for the 18 sites that no longer met the new criteria was transferred to the respective regions. The judgment of the Lazio Regional Administrative Court (TAR) no. 7586/2014 of 17 July 2014 reinstated the area of the Sacco River Basin among the Sites of National Interest; therefore, the responsibility for the related procedures of characterization, securing and remediation was again assigned to the Ministry of the Environment. At the end of 2016, the consultation procedures were concluded and the perimeter of the SIN was published.
Law no. 205 of 27 December 2017 identified the SIN "Officina Grande Riparazione ETR" of Bologna. Law no. 120 of 11 September 2020 identified the SIN "Area vasta di Giugliano". As of today, the total number of SINs is 42 (Figure 1).
The perimeter of the SINs may vary over time, increasing or reducing the areas involved. This can happen on the basis of new information regarding the potential and/or confirmed contamination of new areas, or due to a more accurate definition of the zones affected by potential sources of contamination, which in some cases may lead to a reduction in the areas included in the SIN. In December 2021, the decree redefining the perimeter of the SIN of Livorno was published, which modified only the marine areas, completely excluding them from the SIN and transferring responsibility to the Region. In 2023, the decree redefining the perimeter of the SIN of Tito was published; the procedures relating to the areas excluded from the perimeter were transferred to the competence of the Region.
Article 17-bis of Decree-Law no. 152 of 6 November 2021, as amended, provides for the redefinition of the perimeters of contaminated sites currently classified as of national interest for the purpose of remediation, excluding areas and territories that no longer meet the requirements referred to in Article 252, paragraph 2, of Legislative Decree 152/06 and subsequent amendments. This activity, carried out by MASE with the support of SNPA and the competent local authorities, led in the first half of 2024 to the perimeter revision of five SINs (Terni-Papigno, Pioltello e Rodano, Cogoleto-Stoppani, Brindisi, Fidenza) (Table 1).
The progress of characterization and safety/remediation activities (Table 3) refers exclusively to land areas and is generally expressed as a percentage of surface area in relation to the entire delineated SIN surface on land, with the exception of some SINs for which it refers only to a portion of the delineated land area. From a geographical point of view, some SINs fall within the territory of more than one region: these are Pieve Vergonte and Cengio e Saliceto, which affect Piedmont and Lombardy, and Piedmont and Liguria, respectively (Table 1).
The regions with the most SINs are Lombardy (5 SINs plus part of the SIN Pieve Vergonte), Piedmont (3 SINs plus parts of Pieve Vergonte and Cengio e Saliceto), Tuscany (4), Apulia (4), and Sicily (4) (Table 2, Figure 2).
In terms of total SIN surface area (land + sea), the regions with the largest delineated areas are Piedmont (approx. 85,700 ha), Sardinia (approx. 56,800 ha), Sicily (approx. 24,400 ha), and Apulia (approx. 24,000 ha). The total land surface area of SINs represents 0.49% of the surface area of the Italian territory. At the regional level, only in one case (Piedmont, with 3.4%) does the SIN land area exceed 1% of the regional territory (Table 2).
The progress of procedures for soil and groundwater refers to the sum of the SIN land areas for which data on the progress status are available (Table 3, Figures 3 and 4); the SINs "Area vasta di Giugliano" and "Officina Grande Riparazione ETR di Bologna" are therefore excluded. Also excluded from the representation are the SINs of Balangero, Casale Monferrato, Emarese and Biancavilla due to the specific nature of the prevailing contamination (asbestos, asbestos-containing materials, fluoro-edenite) and the type of interventions, which relate to the securing of these materials.
The "n.a." values, which account for approximately 34% of the total area for both soil and groundwater, refer to areas included within the perimeter of some SINs that have not been considered for the purpose of assessing the progress status (e.g., mining areas in Sulcis-Iglesiente Guspinese, areas outside the plant in the SIN of Pieve Vergonte, etc.).
From the overall analysis, it emerges that characterization has been carried out for 59% of the land surface (55% for groundwater), remediation/safety measures have been approved by decree for 13% of the soil surface (17% for groundwater), and the procedure has been completed for 17% of the soil and 6% of the groundwater.