The results of the 38th campaign are not flattering for 11 out of 23 points examined in Liguria. Green Schooner, the ship set up by Legambiente with the collaboration of various operational entities in the protection of the marine environment, to take the pulse of the state of health of the waters of the Bel Paese. The data on the Ligurian countryside presented today at a press conference in Genova, by the environmental protection association.
Goletta Verde: polluted spots rise from 35 to 48%
The work to present the report in the presence of Federica Barbera, spokesperson for Goletta Verde, Stephen Bigliazzipresident of Legambiente Liguria, Michael Solari of Barchelettriche srl, Claudio Oliva, director Genova Blue District, Davide D’ArenaARPAL bathing monitoring coordinator, Maurice ArchdeaconCONOU responsible for North-West Area Coordination, e Frederick Borromeo, director of Legambiente Liguria. In the 2024 campaign, there will be 23 sampling points, 10 at the mouth of the rivers and 13 at the sea. 48% were found to have values above the legal limits. last year, critical hotspots were 35%.
In the province of Imperia there are 6 sampling points. The sample taken at the mouth of the Santa Caterina stream in the municipality of Santo Stefano al Mare was found to be heavily polluted. Those taken from were polluted Ventimiglia at the mouth of the Roja river and Sanremo the beach facing the San Romolo stream. Within the limits, the samples taken at sea, near the mouth of the Nervia stream (Ventimiglia), at Weapon of Taggia the mouth of the Argentina torrent and Diano Marina the mouth of the San Pietro torrent. The previous year only the Rio Santa Caterina in Santo Stefano wore the black jersey, worsening the mouth of the San Romolo and the Roja which in 2023 remained within the legal limits.
The mayor of Taggia, Mario Conio, expressed satisfaction for the samples taken at the mouth of the Argentina, especially after a past sampling (“good” instead of “excellent”) had cost the seaside village of Arma the coveted Blue Flag. Consolation also comes with the news of a sea turtle that has chosen a facility in the town to lay its eggs.
The methodology
The Goletta Verde samples are taken by technicians and volunteers from Legambiente. The scientific office of the association has taken care of their training and coordination, identifying the laboratories in the area. The samples for microbiological analysis are taken in sterile jars and stored in the refrigerator until the moment of analysis, which takes place on the same day of sampling or in any case within 24 hours of the sample. The parameters investigated are microbiological (intestinal enterococci, Escherichia coli). The number of samples taken is defined in proportion to the Km of coast of each region. To define polluted, a point must exceed the limits established by law (intestinal enterococci > 200 UFC/100 ml and/or Escherichia coli > 500 UFC/100 ml), to be designated as “heavily polluted” it must exceed by at least double. Here is the monitoring map.
«Sore point purification»
«Purification remains one of the sore points in our country– they explain from Legambiente -, with 910 agglomerations for which situations of non-compliance with the requirements of the Waste Water Directive (91/271/EC) were detected. According to the latest available data from MASE (December 2023) in Liguria there are still 9 agglomerations in infringement proceedings (Andora, Diano Marina, Alassio, Albenga, Arenzano, Sestri Levante, Lavagna, Rapallo and Riva Trigoso) with a total load generated equal to 240,700 equivalent inhabitants”.
