Analysis of large-scale monitoring data to identify spatial and temporal trend of risk for terbuthylazine and desethyl-terbuthylazine in surface water bodies of Po plain (Italy)

In Italy, the National Environmental Protection Agency (ISPRA) publishes annual reports containing the results of monitoring programs for pesticides in surface and groundwater. These programs were established to accomplish the EU Directives addressing the quality of water resources (drinking water, groundwater and surface water) such as the Water Framework Directive or the Directive on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides. These data can be extremely helpful for risk management actions as they can provide indications where to implement mitigation measures at the territorial scale. In this study, we extrapolated the monitoring data (period 2008–2017) of terbuthylazine and its metabolite desethyl-terbuthylazine in the surface water bodies of the Po plain (Northern Italy). Then, these data were utilized to apply a methodology based on a previous work proposed and published by our research team, which combine, in two distinct phases, historical series of monitoring data and GIS. Overall, the results allowed to identify three areas where to focus risk mitigation measures, which correspond to the low part of the Lombardy (Lodi, Cremona and Mantua area), the area between the Padua and Venice provinces in Veneto and the area of Ferrara in Emilia Romagna.