IWRA Proceedings

Fulfilling the ultimate objective of a ‘‘good’’ overall quality of all waters is questionable in terms of the high costs entailed and the lack of adequate legal enforceability. The new EU water framework directive institutionalizes ecosystem-based objectives and planning processes at the level of the hydrographic basin as the basis for water resource management. The directive, affecting 27 countries, marks an important trend towards an ecosystem-based approach for water policy and water resource management.

In this paper, after a overview of the WFD implementation in Italy, problems related to a case study and adopted decision making tools are shown. Area of the case study is Parco del Cilento, a protected area in Southern Italy, in which water quality monitoring, proposed in the normative, has been performed on a river. During the period from February 2001 to July 2002, 2570 samples were collected and the water quality of the Mingardo river was analyzed. The results obtained have allowed a preliminary definition of the chemical, physical and biological water quality of the river as well as its classification according to the WFD outlines. Non parametrical statistical procedures have also been proposed as possible water quality management tools for the application of the EU water framework directive.