agenzia regionale per la protezione dell'ambiente ligure environmental protection agency of...

Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente Ligure

Environmental Protection Agency of Liguria (ARPAL)

GENOVA, 18 novembre 2004

BATHING WATER QUALITY BATHING WATER QUALITY

USE OF GIS TO DETERMINE USE OF GIS TO DETERMINE EXACT POSITIONS OF SAMPLING EXACT POSITIONS OF SAMPLING

STATIONS IN LIGURIASTATIONS IN LIGURIA

Rosella Bertolotto

D.P.R. D.P.R. 470/82470/82ss.mm. e ii.ss.mm. e ii.

European Directive 76/160/CEE

NATIONAL LAW ABOUT BATHING WATER 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 doesn’t comply, five other samples are taken, before an area is declared temporarily not suitable for bathing purposes.

Direzione Scientifica – Settore Ambiente Marino Costiero

WHERE ARE THE SAMPLES TAKEN?WHERE ARE THE SAMPLES TAKEN?

Bathing water sampling is carried out by ARPAL along the Bathing water sampling is carried out by ARPAL along the Ligurian coast by ship, with about Ligurian coast by ship, with about 4.8004.800 water samples/yearwater samples/year


LIGURIA REGIONLIGURIA REGION

Official Regional Act

Issued each year before the beginning of sampling season

List of SAMPLING AREASSAMPLING AREAS, along Ligurian coast

For each area, a SAMPLING SAMPLING POINT POINT is defined

LENGTH CODE NAME and DESCRIPTION

LATITUDE and LONGITUDE


The limits and lengths of SAMPLING AREAS are defined, consideringThe limits and lengths of SAMPLING AREAS are defined, considering


• 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 SAMPLING POINTS must represent the environmental conditions of the whole area conditions of the whole area

Number of total areas along the Ligurian coast

450

AVERAGE LENGTH OF EACH AREA: 790 METERS


SAMPLING AREAS

405

FORBIDDEN AREAS

48

APPROXIMATE LENGTH OF LIGURIAN COAST: 350 Km

Personnel who took water samples did not follow official coordinates but used their own personal knowledge (landmarks)

• bell towers

• lighthouses

• piers, ports…


DEFINITION of COORDINATESDEFINITION of COORDINATESCoastal municipalities indicated the limits of the

bathing areas and the coordinates of the sampling points using 1:25000 maps

Latitudes and Longitudes in the official regional act were not correct not correct


COORDINATES REDEFINITIONCOORDINATES 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 THATSO THAT

LEVANTOLEVANTO

MONTEROSSOMONTEROSSO


Yellow points represent

original area limits with

obvious mistakes

ORIGINAL COORDINATES

MAPPING BY GIS


ORIGINAL COORDINATES

MAPPING BY GIS

LEVANTOLEVANTO

MONTEROSSOMONTEROSSO


Other examples

…

Prov Savona


Other examples …

PROGRAM’S 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


GENOVAGENOVAARENZANOARENZANO


COORDINATES CORRECTION


COORDINATES CORRECTION

OSPEDALETTIOSPEDALETTI


COORDINATES CORRECTION OF SAMPLING POINTS AND AREA BOUNDARIES


SECOND PARTSECOND PARTSome 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

MODIFICATIONSMODIFICATIONS

EXAMPLE OF MISTAKES IN AREA LIMITS OR SAMPLING POINTS


The sampling point could not represent the whole area because of the pier


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

ERRORI POSIZIONAMENTO PUNTO DI CAMPIONAMENTO


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


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

ARPAL WEBSITE ABOUT BATHING WATER


Choice of province

OLD VERSIONOLD VERSION


NEGATIVE ASPECTS

POSITIVE ASPECTS

OLD VERSIONOLD VERSIONARPAL 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


SURFING APPLICATIONS

zooming an area


ARPAL WEBSITE ABOUT BATHING WATER NEW VERSIONNEW VERSION


NEGATIVE ASPECTS

POSITIVE ASPECTS

ARPAL WEBSITE ABOUT BATHING WATER NEW VERSIONNEW 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


And you can get up-to-date information about the

bathing areas you are

interested in

www.arpal.org


THANK YOU THANK YOU

FOR YOUR FOR YOUR ATTENTION ! ATTENTION !

agenzia regionale per la protezione dell'ambiente ligure environmental protection agency of...

Documents

area slide

bathing water sampling

correct slide

gis slide

charge of sampling

sampling experience

positioning sampling

lengths of sampling