The report on the state of the environment allows to give an overview of the general situation of the policies and the environment of Agro Pontino in relation to water; it is the result of the interpretation and synthesis of four documents:

report on the use of water for agricultural purposes;

report on the status of the coastal wetlands;

report on the quality of water;

planning framework.

In accordance with the Water Framework Directive, this report is meant to identify, organise and illustrate information on the state of the environment and the natural resources of the entire catchment area of the Pontine Plain. The contents of the report on the state of the environment is also the starting point of the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Restoration Programme.

The feasibility studies concern each of the three pilot projects:

filter ecosystem in the Natural Park;

linear natural park within the urban area;

buffer strips along the drainage channels.

The feasibility study evaluates the convenience of the pilot projects and the possible modalities for their implementation, it defines the activities, estimates the expected results and provides a thorough analysis of all external conditions. It allows to turn the idea into a concrete investment proposal, based on the assessment of the tools, techniques and resources needed to implement the project.

The environmental analyses are the technical insights necessary for the preparation of the Environmental Restoration Programme. This action comprises a SWOT analysis, studies on the landscape features of the Pontine Plain, analysis of the hydrographic network, hydrological analyses.

The implementation of the geographic database allows the heterogeneous data coming from different institutions to be comparable and sharable. This work entails the implementation of the single partner institutions’ databases and their unification into a single database; the definition of metadata; and the following update of the same database during the whole duration of the project.

The Environmental Restoration Programme comprises first of all the drafting of an action plan, followed by a set of guidelines for the different interventions to be carried out during the project; then, a study on the existing ecological network, and a set of project specifications describing the interventions needed for enhancing and restoring the continuity of the network itself.

These activities are aimed at enhancing dialogue and participation of the key stakeholders of the Pontine Plain, in the framework of the preparation of the Environmental Restoration Programme. After having identified the actors to be involved, thematic workshops will be carried out, in order to define shared goals and scenarios for the Programme. The scenarios are a means to clarify the ideas on the future of the area and to identify possible pathways to the sustainable development of the Agro Pontino.

The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is actually a complex process that includes some of the activities planned for all of the three project phases. It goes along the whole planning process and is aimed at supporting the choices of the technical staff and the decision makers, so that they are able to take into account the possible environmental impacts of the programme and make alternative choices having the lowest environmental impact.

This action includes the construction of a “filter ecosystem” inside the Circeo National Park: an artificial wetland will be constructed, midway between the channel “Fosso Cicerchia” and Lake Fogliano, intercepting and "biologically" purifying the water flow coming from the channel before any release into the lake. The interventions, which will cover an area of approximately 10 hectares, include the morphological reshaping of the terrain, hydraulic works to regulate the water supply, and the planting of herbaceous and shrub marsh plants.

The final design of this plant will be subject to the assessment of its environmental implications on the Natura2000 sites existing in the park. The expected results are the following: - demonstration of the potential for the reduction of pollutants, with the possibility of reconnecting Fosso Cicerchia and Lake Fogliano, increasing the supply of fresh water and so reducing the risk of excessive salinity; - contribution to an increase in biodiversity; - improvement of landscape quality; - availability of data and information useful for the definition of the Environmental Restoration Programme and its large-scale implementation.

This action includes the renaturalisation of the “Colmata” channel – which runs parallel to the coast line, near the seashore of Latina – in order to re-establish the shore habitat; this will be carried out within the more general works for realising a public natural linear park with recreational and educational purposes. The project will cover an area of about 2 km in length; publicly owned land will be used, or land having already been assigned to a “public green area” land use by the municipal land use planning tools. The interventions include the morphological reshaping of the terrain (with the introduction of sinuous shapes in order to create non-permanent wet areas), the planting of herbaceous, shrub and tree plants, typical of the river bank environment, the equipment with furniture for the public use, including educational panels and itineraries.

The expected results are the following: - general awareness raising for the citizens; - public availability of a park, usable as a recreational facility; - demonstration of the possibility of reducing pollutants; - improvement of landscape quality; - contribution to an increase in biodiversity; - availability of data and information useful for the definition of the Environmental Restoration Programme and its large-scale implementation.

This action includes the renaturalisation of the “Colmata” channel – which runs parallel to the coast line, near the seashore of Latina – in order to re-establish the shore habitat; this will be carried out within the more general works for realising a public natural linear park with recreational and educational purposes. The project will cover an area of about 2 km in length; publicly owned land will be used, or land having already been assigned to a “public green area” land use by the municipal land use planning tools. The interventions include the morphological reshaping of the terrain (with the introduction of sinuous shapes in order to create non-permanent wet areas), the planting of herbaceous, shrub and tree plants, typical of the river bank environment, the equipment with furniture for the public use, including educational panels and itineraries.

The expected results are the following: - general awareness raising for the citizens; - public availability of a park, usable as a recreational facility; - demonstration of the possibility of reducing pollutants; - improvement of landscape quality; - contribution to an increase in biodiversity; - availability of data and information useful for the definition of the Environmental Restoration Programme and its large-scale implementation.

The pilot project will be implemented within a farm producing grapes and wine (“Casale del Giglio”). The Province of Latina and the farm intend to test methods and interventions for reducing water pollution and water consumption resulting in the agricultural activities. The interventions to be tested are: - biofiltering systems (buffer strips, constructed wetlands); - irrigation systems for saving water (drip irrigation); - systems for recycling and reusing water; - techniques for reducing pollutants (fertilisers and herbicides) in the agricultural activities.

The expected results are the following: - in a medium-sized farm, the production of a litre of wine involves the use of twenty-six litres of water; the goal is to reduce this value by 20%; - 20% decrease in presence of pollutants in the farm wastewater, over the project’s lifetime; - guidelines for the interventions aimed at saving water and reducing pollutants in the rural areas.

Definition of a set of environmental indicators - deriving from chemical, physical and biological parameters - suitable for monitoring the single pilot projects.

The existing network of monitoring stations will be strengthened, in order to fully evaluate the results achieved. For this purpose, it is necessary to obtain specific data on the quality of water, both incoming and outgoing from the different types of plants envisaged by the project, in order to compare the data at the different stages of the construction of the plant (from the first planting until the development of the mature series of vegetation), also in connection with the maintenance plan.

The adjustment of the monitoring network entails the installation of 2-4 telemetry stations for each pilot project; each will have multiple sensors and will be powered by photovoltaic panels. The maintenance of the stations will be carried out for at least 2 years.

Monitoring of chemical and physical parameters entails periodical samples (monthly, quarterly or half yearly, depending on the type of pollutant) to be made in more sampling points within each pilot project.

The collected data will be stored in an appropriate database, frequently updated and published on the project web portal.

Sampling will concern the quality of both water and sediments.

For monitoring the waters, in addition to physical-chemical parameters, other indicators will be used, in accordance with the Water Framework Directive. The Directive requires that the institutions responsible for monitoring the waterways do that through indexes and indicators suitable for assessing the components of the river ecosystem in an integrated way: Phytoplankton, Zooplankton, Vertebrates, Benthos, Macrophytes.