Drinking Water Quality in the Grosseto Province, Tuscany, Italy. An appraisal on the basis of the study of water rock interaction

The supply of drinking water of adequate quality in southern Tuscany is scarce. The water quality assessment study, discussed in this paper, was carried out as part of a research contract between the ARPAT Agency and the University of Rome "La Sapienza". The findings from the study point out that the waters of the investigated area do not always meet the drinking water quality standards recently proposed by the international scientific community. The investigated waters sometimes have high contents of major ions (e.g. sulphate and chlorine) and of toxic trace elements (e.g. As, B and Hg) deriving from hydrogeochemical anomalies of natural origin. This critical situation is worsened by anthropogenic alterations. The results from the study suggest the need for designing and implementing a regional research project. The project should assess the supply and quality of natural waters in the Grosseto Province, by relying on a new, interactive, hydrogeochemical and environmental database.