| Title | Groundwater quality trend and trend reversal assessment in the European Water Framework Directive context: an example with nitrates in Italy |
| Abstract | Groundwater resources are of utmost importance in sustaining water related ecosystems, including humans. The long-lasting impacts from anthropogenic activities require early actions, owing to the natural time lag in groundwater formation and renewal. The European Union (EU) policy, within the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), requires Member States to identify and reverse any significant and sustained upward trend in the concentration of pollutants, defining specific protection measures to be included in the River Basin Management Plans (RBMP). In Italy, official guidelines for trend and trend reversal assessment have been published recently. Statistical methods, such as the Mann-Kendall test for trend analysis and the Sen's method for estimating concentration scenarios, should be applied at the fixed terms stated by the WFD implementation cycles to identify upward trends, while the Pettitt test is proposed for the identification of trend reversal. In this paper, we present an application of a slightly modified version of the Italian Guidelines to a groundwater body in Northern Italy featuring nitrate pollution and discuss its advantages and limitations. In addition to Pettitt test, for the trend reversal analysis, we apply the MannKendall test in two sections and compare the results. We conclude that this method seems more reliable than Pettitt test to identify a reversal point in quality time series. The overall procedure can be easily applied to any groundwater body defined at risk across Europe, for the assessment of the upward trends of pollutants and their reversal, even with little chemical monitoring data. Although focused on the EU legislative framework, this procedure may be relevant for a wider context, allowing to individuate upward trend as early warning for contamination processes in an integrated water resources management context. |
| Source | Environmental science and pollution research international |
| Keywords | groundwater chemical statusgroundwater directiveriver basin management planMann-KendallPettitt testNitrate pollution |
| Journal | Environmental science and pollution research international |
| Editor | Springer, Berlin, Germania |
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11356-020-11998-0 |
| Authors | Eleonora Frollini 1, Elisabetta Preziosi 1, Nicoletta Calace 2, Maurizio Guerra 2, Nicolas Guyennon 1, Marco Marcaccio 3, Stefano Menichetti 4, Emanuele Romano 1, Stefano Ghergo 1 |
| Text | 441435 2021 10.1007/s11356 020 11998 0 groundwater chemical status groundwater directive river basin management plan Mann Kendall Pettitt test Nitrate pollution Groundwater quality trend and trend reversal assessment in the European Water Framework Directive context an example with nitrates in Italy Eleonora Frollini 1, Elisabetta Preziosi 1, Nicoletta Calace 2, Maurizio Guerra 2, Nicolas Guyennon 1, Marco Marcaccio 3, Stefano Menichetti 4, Emanuele Romano 1, Stefano Ghergo 1 1 IRSA CNR, Via Salaria km 29,300, 00015, Monterotondo Roma, Italy 2 ISPRA, Via Vitaliano Brancati, 48, 00144 Rome, Italy 3 ARPAE Emilia Romagna, Largo Caduti del Lavoro, 6, 40122 Bologna, Italy 4 ARPAT Toscana, Via N. Porpora, 22, 50144 Firenze, Italy Groundwater resources are of utmost importance in sustaining water related ecosystems, including humans. The long lasting impacts from anthropogenic activities require early actions, owing to the natural time lag in groundwater formation and renewal. The European Union EU policy, within the implementation of the Water Framework Directive WFD , requires Member States to identify and reverse any significant and sustained upward trend in the concentration of pollutants, defining specific protection measures to be included in the River Basin Management Plans RBMP . In Italy, official guidelines for trend and trend reversal assessment have been published recently. Statistical methods, such as the Mann Kendall test for trend analysis and the Sen s method for estimating concentration scenarios, should be applied at the fixed terms stated by the WFD implementation cycles to identify upward trends, while the Pettitt test is proposed for the identification of trend reversal. In this paper, we present an application of a slightly modified version of the Italian Guidelines to a groundwater body in Northern Italy featuring nitrate pollution and discuss its advantages and limitations. In addition to Pettitt test, for the trend reversal analysis, we apply the MannKendall test in two sections and compare the results. We conclude that this method seems more reliable than Pettitt test to identify a reversal point in quality time series. The overall procedure can be easily applied to any groundwater body defined at risk across Europe, for the assessment of the upward trends of pollutants and their reversal, even with little chemical monitoring data. Although focused on the EU legislative framework, this procedure may be relevant for a wider context, allowing to individuate upward trend as early warning for contamination processes in an integrated water resources management context. Published version Articolo in rivista Springer 0944 1344 Environmental science and pollution research international Environmental science and pollution research international Environ. sci. pollut. res. int. Environmental science and pollution research international. Environmental science and pollution research international Print Environmental science and pollution research Print ESPR Print eleonorafrollini FROLLINI ELEONORA stefano.ghergo GHERGO STEFANO elisabetta.preziosi PREZIOSI ELISABETTA emanuele.romano ROMANO EMANUELE nicolasdominique.guyennon GUYENNON NICOLAS DOMINIQUE |
