Calabria coast: 62% of monitoring sites exceed limits, officials cite 93% excellent bathing water

Environmental groups and regional officials presented contrasting assessments of water quality along Calabria’s coastline. Legambiente’s Goletta Verde citizen‑monitoring campaign sampled 24 points – eight in the sea and sixteen at river mouths – and found that 62% of the samples were beyond legal limits, with fifteen sites classified as irregular (one polluted, fourteen heavily polluted), mainly at river outlets.

The Regional Environment Assessor Antonio Montuoro responded that official ARPACAL monitoring, which follows European and national standards over the full bathing season, rates 93% of Calabria’s sea water as “excellent” and 97% as suitable for swimming. He noted that the Goletta Verde samples were taken at points not intended for bathing and should not be taken as representative of bathing‑water quality. Montuoro also outlined a €175 million programme of roughly 200 sewage‑system upgrades, GPS‑tracked sewage monitoring and strengthened environmental surveillance to protect the coast.

Both sides called for stronger action on sewage treatment and clearer public information about water safety.