() EMAS registration of a Local Authority and the urban water cycle: Cervia case study.
Tarantini, M.1, Albanese, S.2, Marizzoni, M.3, 1 ENEA, Bologna, Italy2 University of Milan-Environmental Science department, Milano, Italy3 University of Bologna- Environmental Science department, Ravenna, Italy
ABSTRACT- The EU voluntary Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is a management tool, which includes ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, for the organisations willing to evaluate, report and improve their environmental performance. The scheme has been extended in 2001 to all sectors of economic activity including Local Authorities. Local Authorities have in fact an important influence on the environmental behavior of the citizens and can make a major contribution to the implementation of the principles of sustainable development. In this paper the main steps of the process of applying the EMAS procedure to the municipality of Cervia, a well known tourist destination located on the Adriatic coast of the Emilia Romagna region, are described. In the studied area, heavy tourists flows during the summer season, which multiply by ten the residential population, coexist with important protected natural areas. The Environmental Review, recently concluded, showed that the main environmental pressures in the summer season, described according to the PSR (Pressure, State, Response) model, are related to water consumption, to the emissions of the treated wastewater in the coastal waters and to production of wastes. The paper focuses in particular on the Cervia urban water cycle, quantifies the water flows used for urban and agricultural purposes in the entire municipal territory, presents the adopted indicators, outlines the possible responses for a better water resource management by Cervia Municipality. Important water savings can be achieved by improving the leakage rate of the drinking water nets and by a more efficient use of water by end users. Moreover, the analysis of water regulations showed that the City Council is in a key position in the life cycle of the water resource for exerting a positive influence both on the drinking water provider and on the water end-users.
Key words: environmental management systems, EMAS, water cycle