Panel 1
Marilena Insolvibile; Giancarlo De Gironimo; Massimo Peleggi; Silvia Franceschini (ARPA EMILIA ROMAGNA)
In 2017, chemical monitoring of watercourses was conducted by ARPA/APPA at a total of 1,867 monitoring stations across 15 regions and 2 autonomous provinces.
The indicator's representation considered both the Environmental Quality Standards - Annual Average (EQS-AA) and Environmental Quality Standards - Maximum Allowable Concentration (EQS-MAC) for surface waters, as defined in Legislative Decree 172/2015.
At the national level, 87.1% of stations showed no exceedances of EQS-AA, and 98.6% of stations showed no exceedances of EQS-MAC.
Chemical substances in water bodies define their chemical and physical characteristics. Their presence and abundance depend on the nature of the substrate, interactions between water and the surrounding environment, atmospheric inputs, and, more broadly, anthropogenic contributions. Analytical determination within the water body highlights the consumption of chemical products at the source.
These substances, particularly in their bioavailable form, travel into biota (e.g. fish and macrophytes), initiating magnification processes. Understanding the interactions between chemical substances and living organisms has significantly advanced over the past 20 years. Concentrations below lethal levels can exert subtler effects on organisms, such as limiting their reproductive capacity.
The so-called “cocktail effect” is of particular concern: substances present individually at harmless concentrations can combine in complex mixtures and impact health. Additionally, the risks of certain "emerging" chemical substances—continuously being identified—must not be underestimated and require careful monitoring.
Legislative Decree 172/2015, implementing Directive 2013/39/EU (amending Directive 2000/60/EC), updates Table 1/A with environmental quality standards for the water column and biota for priority substances. These threshold values must not be exceeded for a water body to achieve "good" chemical status.
The indicator aims to represent the concentrations of chemical substances with instrument quantification limits (LOQ) aligned with regulatory requirements. These values, determined per sampling station, were monitored in 2017 by ARPA/APPA in watercourses and reported to ISPRA within the EIONET/SOE data flow. Both the Environmental Quality Standard - Annual Average (EQS-AA) and Environmental Quality Standard - Maximum Allowable Concentration (EQS-MAC) are considered.
To represent chemical substances in watercourses monitored by ARPA/APPA under Legislative Decree 172/2015 with instrument quantification limits (LOQ) meeting regulatory requirements, and to quantify the number of monitoring stations with exceedances of EQS-AA and EQS-MAC for one or more substances, thereby assessing anthropogenic impacts.
The WFD - Directive 2000/60/EC aims to promote and implement sustainable policies for the use and safeguarding of surface and groundwater, contributing to their protection, environmental quality improvement, and rational use of natural resources.
The environmental objective for surface water bodies (rivers and lakes) is to achieve "good" status. Directive 2013/39/EU, concerning priority substances in water policy, modifies the list of priority substances under Article 16(4) of Directive 2000/60/EC and Article 8 of Directive 2008/105/EC. It identifies new substances for priority intervention at the EU level, defines and revises EQS for existing substances based on new scientific findings, and establishes EQS for biota for some existing and newly identified priority substances.
Legislative Decree 172/2015, implementing Directive 2013/39/EU, updates and amends Legislative Decree 152/06, outlining environmental quality standards for chemical substances necessary to evaluate the "good" chemical status of surface waters.
Exceeding the annual average of quality standards or maximum allowable concentrations at any monitoring point may indicate a risk that one or more conditions related to the "good" chemical status of surface waters are not met, as specified in Article 1(1)(z) of Legislative Decree 172/15.
Panel 2
EEA Report n. 18/2018 “Chemicals in European waters”
ISPRA, SNPA, Manuali e Linee Guida 116/2014 “Progettazione di reti e programmi di monitoraggio delle acque ai sensi del D. Lgs 152/2006 e relativi decreti attuativi”.
ISPRA, SNPA, Manuali e Linee Guida 143/2016 “Linee guida per il monitoraggio delle sostanze prioritarie (secondo il D: Lgs 172/2015).
ISPRA, Rapporto 260/2017 “Primo monitoraggio delle sostanze dell’Elenco di controllo (Watch List).
In certain contexts, particularly for some substances, limits of quantification (LOQ) were found to be inadequate in relation to the thresholds set by legislation, due to analytical challenges or instrument limitations.
More detail in the representation of the indicator will be provided in reference to the chemicals involved in the processing, following the adjustment of the LOQs of analytical methods.
This will allow a more complete view of the overruns in the sampling stations of the SQA-MA and SQA CMA of chemicals (identified by the current legislation).
Data quality assessment
ARPA/APPA (Regional and Autonomous Province Environmental Protection Agencies
http://www.sintai.isprambiente.it/faces/public/SOE/index.xhtml (con credenziali)
Regional 16/20
2017
Indicator assessment
The monitoring of chemical substances in surface waters involves sampling at monitoring stations and the analytical determination of concentrations to identify the presence of pollutants. The substances to be investigated are selected based on the territorial context and existing anthropogenic pressures.
Monitoring data are transmitted annually by ARPA/APPA within the SOE/EIONET data flow. Legislative Decree 172/2015, in Table 1/A, specifies the annual average quality standards (EQS-AA) and maximum allowable concentrations (EQS-MAC) for inland surface waters, which must not be exceeded at any monitoring point.
Regarding the 2017 data, for each monitored chemical substance, the annual average concentration at each monitoring station in watercourses was calculated, following the calculation criteria indicated in DM 260/2010, as amended by Decree 219/2010, and in ISPRA Guidelines MLG 116/2014. For chemicals with defined EQS-AA standards and adequate quantification limits (LOQ > EQS-AA), the number of monitoring stations exceeding the respective quality standards was counted for each Region or Autonomous Province.
Calculating the percentage of stations, out of the total number of monitoring stations, three categories were established, those where no exceedances occured, those in which one exceedance occurred and those in which two or more exceedances of the quality standards of EQS-AA standards occurred, both regionally and nationally.
The same grouping was applied for chemical substances with defined EQS-MAC and EQS-AA standards and adequate quantification limits (LOQ < EQS-MAC). Finally, the impact of EQS-MAC exceedances on EQS-AA was assessed.
Monitoring activities on watercourses conducted in 2017 by ARPA/APPA highlight a high percentage of monitoring stations nationally where none or only one chemical substance exceeds environmental quality standards.
As the indicator is newly established and only refers to 2017 data, a trend assessment will be possible in future updates.
Data
Figure 1: Rivers - stations and number of chemicals monitored (2017)
ISPRA-ARPA Emilia Romagna Processing on SOE-EIONET data
Figure 2: Chemicals in rivers at regional and national level having SQA MA in D.Lgs. 172/2015
ISPRA-ARPA Emilia Romagna Processing on SOE-EIONET data
Figure 3: Chemicals in rivers at regional and national level having SQA-CMA in D.Lgs. 172/2015
ISPRA-ARPA Emilia Romagna Processing on SOE-EIONET data
abstract
Elaborazione ISPRA-ARPA Emilia Romagna su dati SOE-EIONET
Table 1: Surface waters (rivers), stations and chemicals monitored
ISPRA-ARPA Emilia Romagna Processing on SOE-EIONET data
Regions with data that are not available or do not comply with transmission standards have been omitted
Table 2: Chemicals determined by regions/provinces by substance type (2017)
ISPRA-ARPA Emilia Romagna Processing on SOE-EIONET data
Regions with unavailable data have been omitted
Table 3: Chemicals determined by regions/provinces autonomous by substance type with LOQ - SQA MA (2017)
ISPRA-ARPA Emilia Romagna Processing on SOE-EIONET data
Regions with unavailable data have been omitted
Table 4: Number of stations with SQA CMA higher than the limits and SQA MA below the limits (2017)
ISPRA-ARPA Emilia Romagna Processing on SOE-EIONET data
Regions with unavailable data have been omitted
Table 5: Monitoring of chemicals with CMA in D.Lgs. 172/2015
ISPRA-ARPA Emilia Romagna Processing on SOE-EIONET data
Regions with data that are not available or do not comply with transmission standards have been omitted
Table 6: Distribution of chemicals in rivers by autonomous regions/provinces with CMA
ISPRA-ARPA Emilia Romagna Processing on SOE-EIONET data
Regions with unavailable data have been omitted
Table 7: Chemicals in rivers by autonomous regions/provinces with exceedances MA CMA
ISPRA-ARPA Emilia Romagna Processing on SOE-EIONET data
Regions with unavailable data have been omitted
Chemical monitoring of surface waters in 2017 covered a total of 1,867 stations across 15 regions and 2 autonomous provinces. The number of stations in each area varies depending on the size, number, and type of surface water bodies and the anthropogenic pressures in the regions, which also influence the type and frequency of surveillance or operational monitoring (ranging from 26 stations in Valle d'Aosta to 305 in Lombardy).
The maximum number of chemical substances determined in surface water samples was 209 (Veneto), while the minimum was 76 (Puglia).
Table 2 lists the chemical substances under Legislative Decree 172/2015 assigned an EQS-AA for inland surface waters, monitored by ARPA/APPA. Among these, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), newly introduced by the decree, was identified in Liguria, Tuscany, and Basilicata.
Chemical substances monitored across regions and autonomous provinces did not exceed EQS-AA in 87.1% of stations. Exceedance for one substance occurred at 12.0% of stations, while exceedance for two or more substances occurred at 0.9% (Table 1 and Figures 1, 2). Piemonte and Lazio reported no exceedances at 100% of stations. In Puglia, the highest percentages of exceedances for one and multiple substances were noted (68% and 16%, respectively), while Basilicata recorded a high percentage for exceedance of one substance (60%).
Chemical substances responsible for exceeding EQS-AA and EQS-MAC standards are listed in Table 7. Aside from cadmium, which showed exceedances in some regions, criticalities were observed for chlorpyrifos among pesticides and fluoranthene among polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.