Water contamination by nitrates: Application of a isotope model in the Po River basin, Veneto Plain and Friuli Venezia Giulia Region

This report summarises the results of activities carried out in the framework of an Agreement between the Italian Ministry for agricultural, food and forestry policies (National Rural Network 2007-2013) and ISPRA, signed in 2012 as a response to the demands of a State-Regions act dated 5 May 2011. The identification and quantification of sources responsible for nitrate content in surface- and ground-water is a complex operation, particularly in the case of multiple and different sources that may have an impact on large areas. Indeed, in addition to the knowledge of potential urban, agricultural and livestock sources of nitrate affecting a given area, these assessments also require detailed information on land use and the availability of results of the monitoring activities carried out by Regional EPAs, as well as a knowledge of nitrogen migration and physical/chemical transformation processes in the various environmental compartments. Beside the National System for Environmental Protection (composed of ISPRA, with a technical coordination role, and of ARPAs, responsible for environmental monitoring and control activities on their regional areas), the different competent Administrations on these topics were involved in the activities, i.e the regional Depts. for Environment and Depts. for Agriculture of the Piemonte, Lombardia, Emilia Romagna, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, the Po River and the North Adriatic Rivers basin authorities, the Italian Ministry for agricultural, food and forestry policies, and the Second University of Naples for isotopic analysis.

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