Water quality

The checks on the quality of the drinking water supplied and of effluent returned to the environment, after the process of purification, are performed in a planned and constant manner by the companies of the water industrial area. The analyses on the drinking water distributed to users play an essential role for the resulting health spin-offs. A summary of the work carried out in this area, by all the water companies, is shown in Chart no. 45.

CHART NO. 45 - TESTS OF DRINKING WATER, TOTAL AND BY COMPANY (2018)

CHART NO. 45 - TESTS OF DRINKING WATER, TOTAL AND BY COMPANY (2018)

In Rome, the qualitative characteristics of the resource collected and distributed are monitored through continuous testing, with instruments located along the water systems and through daily sampling at the collectors and in the distribution network.
In Lazio there are areas of volcanic origin where the water has drinkability problems, linked to the natural presence of some substances in greater concentrations compared to those permitted by the relevant legislation. In these areas Acea Ato 2 has performed, over the years, a number of initiatives aimed at solving these problems, increasing the purification plants able to remove the unwanted substances and returning their values of concentration well below the legal limits.
Regular monitoring of the chemical/biological parameters of the water which circulates in the distribution network of the water system allows the quality safety level to be kept high.

Altogether about 359,491 118 analytical tests in the territory of Ato 2, for a total of 10,708 samples – in addition to those of the Health Authority – were carried out during 2018 in the Grottarossa Laboratories, managed by Acea Elabori.

The analytical checks on the water and the relative measurements are also performed by Group companies independently.
The subsidiary Acea Elabori, accredited pursuant to the ISO/ IEC 17025 standard, performs and certifies chemical and physical and bacteriological analyses in different substrates, including water (see Table no. 53 for the analyses performed on Rome drinking water). Gesesa instead uses two outside laboratories (see the Environmental Accounts or the Gesesa data and also for the aggregate data).

[118] The data on analytical testing of drinking water from 2018 also include analyses on recently acquired aqueducts (Civitavecchia and others).

Table n. 53 - ANALYSES PERFORMED BY ACEA ELABORI ON DRINKING WATER - ROME HISTORICAL NETWORK (2016-2018) AND AVERAGE CHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE DRINKING WATER DISTRIBUTED AT ROME, THE MUNICIPALITIES OF ACEA ATO 5 AND BENEVENTO (2018)

ANALYSES PERFORMED BY ACEA ELABORI ON DRINKING WATER - ROME HISTORICAL NETWORK (2016-2018)
sampling area no of
sampling points
no of samplesno of analayses
2018201620172018201620172018
collection4546942343721,08521,63621,119
water system and water feed pipes261581831306,0516,5995,167
stanks/water centres212481191528,9744,9886,306
distribution networks3204,2083,3813,326135,943109,838109,571
total4125,0834,1064,045173,702143,061142,163
AVERAGE CHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE DRINKING WATER DISTRIBUTED AT ROME, THE MUNICIPALITIES OF ACEA ATO 5 AND BENEVENTO (2018)
parametersunit of measurementaverage value - Romeaverage vlue - Acea Ato 5 municipalitiesaverage value- Geresa (Pezzapiana site)legal parametric value (Legislative Decree no.31/01)
turbidityNTU<0.50.90.51no anomalous changes
temperature12.713.5exempt (*)not required
hydrogen ion concentrationunità di pH7.47.37.5>6.5 e < 9.5
celectrical conductivityµS/cm a 20 °C560595896<2500
chloridesmg/l Cl6.65.946.8<250
sulphatesmg/l SO413.711.3166<250
calciummg/l Ca100.6115.9exempt (*)not required
magnesiummg/l Mg19.017.1eexempt (*)not required
sodiummg/l Na4.73.637.0<200
potassiummg/l K2.01.23exempt (*)not required
hardness°F32.93635.6(**)
free residual chlorinemg/l Cl20.150.190.15(***)
alkalinitymg/l CaCO3435358exempt (*)not required
calculated  fixed residuemg/l408426.7612(****)
nitratesmg/l NO33.53.837.9<50
nitritesmg/l NO2<0.050.1<0.03<0.50
ammoniamg/l NH4<0.10<0.1exempt (*)<0.50
fluoruridesmg/l F0.140.150.5<1.50
bicarbonatesmg/l HCO3400463.3exempt (*)not required
totalmg/l C0.580.53exempt (*)no anomalous changes
ironµg/l Fe11.816.1<20<200
coppermg/l Cu0.0030.00<0.01<1.0
leadµg/l Pb0.40.32<10
cadmiumµg/l Cd<0.2<0.2<2.0<5.0
chromiumµg/l Cr<5.0<5.0<2.0<50
nickelµg/l Ni<2.0<0.2<2.0<20
manganeseµg/l Mn0.43.1<2.0<50
arsenicµg/l As<1.02.9exempt (*)<10
vanadiumµg/l V2.41.7<2.0<140
total trihalomethanesµg/l1.00.7<0.9<30
trichloroethyleneµg/l<0.10<0.10<1.0<10
tetrachloroethyleneµg/l<0.10<0.10<1.0<10
1.2 - dichloroethaneµg/l<0.30<0.30<0.1<3.0
benzeneµg/l<0.10<0.10exempt (*)<1.0
benzo (a) pyreneμg/l<0.003<0.003exempt (*)<0.010
coliform bacteria at 37° CMPN/100 ml0000
e. coliMPN/100 ml0000
EnterococciMPN/100 ml0000

(*) In accordance with Legislative Decree no. 31/01 and in agreement with the health authority, Gesesa is exempted from supplying the parameter
(**) Recommended values: 15-50° F - the lower limit applies to water subjected to softening or desalination treatment
(***) Recommended value 0.2 mg/l.
(****) Maximum value recommended: 1,500 mg/l.