Sixth stop in Vicenza, on the Retrone river and along the Vicenza stretch of the Bacchiglione, for the crew of Operation Fiumi, the citizen science and scientific environmentalism campaign of Legambiente Veneto created thanks to the technical support of Arpav, with the contribution of Coop Alleanza 3.0, with the patronage of the Po River District Basin Authority and the Eastern Alps District Basin Authority and with the technical partner Strada Srl.
The parameters observed in this fourth edition, in addition to the Escherichia coli bacterium – the fecal bacteria that allow us to verify the state of water purification – are Glyphosate and, new for 2024, PFAS.
For the Vicenza stage, the waterways put under the magnifying glass by Legambiente are the Vicenza stretch of the Bacchiglione, monitored in 3 points, and the Retrone river, with two monitored points, in Creazzo and Vicenza.
For the Bacchiglione there are still serious critical issues for the sampling carried out in Vicenza near Ponte Debba, where this year the presence of faecal bacteria is 5 times higher than the legal limit allowed for discharge (5000 MPN/ml).
As regards the Retrone river, the situation is equally worrying for both monitored points, which for the fourth consecutive year present off-scale values of fecal bacteria: over 11 thousand colony-forming units in Creazzo and almost 58 thousand in Vicenza.
Values so high that it is necessary to envisage, as indicated by Arpav, the activation of restrictions for the irrigation use of water: all crops intended for raw human consumption could not be irrigated and the use of individual protection for workers is recommended contact with such waters.
As already reported with the stage dedicated to the Padua section of the Bacchiglione, the chemical state of the entire river basin is also penalized by the widespread presence of Pfos values higher than the limits established by law (see attached Arpav sheet). As regards the Retrone / Bacchiglione river system from Vicenza towards the valley, the exceeding of the PFOS Quality Standards is connected to the well-known phenomenon of pollution by perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) of surface waters and aquifers in the territories of the provinces of Vicenza, Verona and Padua and deriving from the contaminated site of the former Miteni SpA. In the area not connected to the surface or underground waters of the contaminated site of the former Miteni SpA, i.e. to the north and east of Vicenza, the contamination is presumably deriving from industrial waste and/or purification plants ( torrents Rostone Ovest, Timonchio, Longhella ditch etc.) or from unknown causes, but conveyed by underground waters (Bacchiglioncello, Tesina, Astichello, Roggia Moneghina rivers).
“We are concerned about the high and persistent concentration of Escherichia coli – declares Giulia Bacchiega spokesperson for Operation Rivers – The poor quality of the water used for irrigation purposes can have repercussions on the entire production chain: from the quality of the agri-food products to the health of the operators involved to that of the final consumer. Although the latest Arpav study relating to the two-year period 2022-2033 on the quality of current surface waters to support irrigation uses does not find situations of high risk for irrigation use, Arpav itself underlines that 62% of the water stretches of the However, the region can be used for irrigation purposes only with restrictions. We believe greater attention to these aspects is necessary, to protect the many quality agricultural activities that exist in these territories. We therefore ask – concludes Bacchiega – greater controls and investigations into the causes of these high concentrations and the preventive measures to be adopted to protect the health of citizens and the agri-food chain already burdened by the still unresolved pollution from Pfas.”
“In itself – says Valentina Dovigo president of the Vicenza club – the high presence of fecal bacteria can be an episodic phenomenon that signals the presence of polluting peaks, due to unauthorized discharges or illegal spills. A specific fact that does not necessarily affect the overall quality of the water, given the high self-purifying capacity of the river ecosystem. But, if for four consecutive years, as is happening with Bacchiglione and Retrone, by doing spot sampling we have always found very high values at the same sampling points, we can no longer speak of an extemporaneous phenomenon but of the certain presence of one or more sources of pollution. Poor or insufficient purification, the presence of illegal discharges or spills also by agricultural activities or the failure to connect some buildings to the sewer system, are some of the possible causes: the competent bodies urgently investigate these aspects because the situation is serious, has been going on for a long time and we can no longer allow it to continue.”
