Legislative Decree No. 30/2009 implementing Directive 2006/118/EC on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration

The Legislative Decree 30/2009 establishes a regulatory framework for the protection of groundwater, with the objective of implementing Directive 2006/118/EC through the definition of criteria, standards, and procedures aimed at preventing and controlling pollution and deterioration of groundwater bodies. It applies to groundwater bodies identified according to technical criteria and integrates the provisions of Legislative Decree No. 152 of 2006 by introducing specific measures governing the assessment of chemical and quantitative status, the establishment of environmental quality standards and threshold values, and the identification of significant and sustained upward trends in pollutant concentrations, together with mechanisms for their reversal. The Decree assigns a central role to regional authorities and competent bodies in the implementation of monitoring, assessment, and planning obligations. It requires the classification of groundwater bodies according to their chemical and quantitative status, based on defined standards and thresholds, and establishes detailed procedures for monitoring, including the creation of surveillance and operational networks aimed at generating representative and reliable data. It further mandates the inclusion of such classifications, standards, and associated measures within river basin management plans and water protection plans, ensuring coordination at both national and transboundary levels where groundwater bodies are shared with other States. In addition, the decree provides for the adoption of preventive and corrective measures to limit or avoid the introduction of pollutants, distinguishing between hazardous and non-hazardous substances and requiring the application of best environmental practices and available techniques. It regulates the identification of groundwater bodies at risk, the assessment of pressures and impacts arising from anthropogenic activities, and the definition of monitoring programmes based on conceptual models of groundwater systems.