1. Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente Ligure Environmental Protection Agency of Liguria (ARPAL) GENOVA, 18 novembre 2004 BATHING WATER QUALITY USE OF GIS TO DETERMINE EXACT POSITIONS OF SAMPLING STATIONS IN LIGURIA Rosella Bertolotto

2. D.P.R. 470/82 ss.mm. e ii. European Directive 76/160/CEE NATIONAL LAW ABOUT BATHING WATER Physical, chemical and microbiological analysis of water samples Sampling period : April, 1st to September, 30th (bathing season starts May, 1st) Two samples/month minimum If a sample doesnt comply, five other samples are taken, before an area is declared temporarily not suitable for bathing purposes. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero

3. WHERE ARE THE SAMPLES TAKEN? Bathing water sampling is carried out by ARPAL along the Ligurian coast by ship, with about 4.800 water samples/year Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero

4. LIGURIA REGION Official Regional Act Issued each year before the beginning of sampling season SAMPLING AREAS List of SAMPLING AREAS, along Ligurian coast SAMPLING POINT For each area, a SAMPLING POINT is defined LENGTHCODENAME and DESCRIPTION LATITUDE and LONGITUDE Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero

5. The limits and lengths of SAMPLING AREAS are defined, considering Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero presence of urban and industrial discharges presence of industrial sites special protected areas presence of river mouths Other areas are not sampled, which are perpetually forbidden because of the presence of ports, military zones, dangerous cliffs… coastal morphology SAMPLING POINTS must represent the environmental conditions of the whole area

6. Number of total areas along the Ligurian coast 450 AVERAGE LENGTH OF EACH AREA: 790 METERS Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero SAMPLING AREAS 405 FORBIDDEN AREAS 48 APPROXIMATE LENGTH OF LIGURIAN COAST: 350 Km

7. Personnel who took water samples did not follow official coordinates but used their own personal knowledge (landmarks) bell towers lighthouses piers, ports… Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero DEFINITION of COORDINATES Coastal municipalities indicated the limits of the bathing areas and the coordinates of the sampling points using 1:25000 maps not correct Latitudes and Longitudes in the official regional act were not correct

8. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero COORDINATES REDEFINITION use of GIS ARPAL, in collaboration with ASL and coastal municipalities promoted a series of meetings to redefine and to correct coordinates People in charge of sampling could locate the right site Define right coordinates to put in the new regional act SO THAT

9. LEVANTO MONTEROSSO Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero Yellow points represent original area limits with obvious mistakes ORIGINAL COORDINATES MAPPING BY GIS

10. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero ORIGINAL COORDINATES MAPPING BY GIS LEVANTO MONTEROSSO

11. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero Other examples … Prov Savona

12. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero Other examples …

13. PROGRAMS STEPS TO CORRECT COORDINATES 1.Interviews with people in charge of water sampling Definition of correct position of sampling points and area limits by territory knowledge and sampling experience 2.Check by Municipalities and ASL 3.Right Location of each point by GIS 4.Location of correct area limits and sampling points on regional maps 5.Update of the regional official act for bathing season 2004 Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero

14. GENOVA ARENZANO COORDINATES CORRECTION

15. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero COORDINATES CORRECTION OSPEDALETTI

16. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero COORDINATES CORRECTION OF SAMPLING POINTS AND AREA BOUNDARIES

17. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero SECOND PART Some areas had to be radically changed because they did not represent land characteristics they were not compliant with LAW DISPOSITIONS (in particular law DM 29/01/92 ) Proposed by Municipalities Confirmed (under the environmental point of view) by ARPAL Confirmed (under the sanitary point of view) by ASL MODIFICATIONS

18. EXAMPLE OF MISTAKES IN AREA LIMITS OR SAMPLING POINTS Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero The sampling point could not represent the whole area because of the pier

19. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero The sampling point is in front of the river mouth (bad results possible even if bathing water on the beach is good) EXAMPLE OF MISTAKES IN POSITIONING BOUNDARIES OR SAMPLING POINTS

20. ERRORI POSIZIONAMENTO PUNTO DI CAMPIONAMENTO Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero The sampling area belongs to Albenga AND to Alassio EXAMPLE OF MISTAKES IN POSITIONING SAMPLING POINTS The Mayor decree to forbid bathing should be issued by both mayors at the same time

21. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero The river mouth should be forbidden for bathing purposes or should have a sampling point on its own EXAMPLE OF MISTAKES IN POSITIONING BOUNDARIES OR SAMPLING POINTS

22. ARPAL WEBSITE ABOUT BATHING WATER Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero Choice of province OLD VERSION

23. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero NEGATIVE ASPECTS POSITIVE ASPECTS OLD VERSION ARPAL WEBSITE ABOUT BATHING WATER Pleasant view of images and maps Easy to use Fast to load and to surf maps were inaccurate, imprecise Difficult update Maps had to be created each time

24. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero SURFING APPLICATIONS zooming an area

25. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero ARPAL WEBSITE ABOUT BATHING WATER NEW VERSION

26. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero NEGATIVE ASPECTS POSITIVE ASPECTS ARPAL WEBSITE ABOUT BATHING WATER NEW VERSION System based on GIS Precise and accurate maps (use of Regional Territory Map) Automatic and fast update Unpleasant view of images and maps User unfriendly Slow uploading and surfing

27. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero And you can get up-to-date information about the bathing areas you are interested in www.arpal.org

28. Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !