MP9 Environmental Decision-Making Case Studies
D137-140
1:20 PM - 4:40 PM, Monday
() Contaminated megasites remediation. Integrated management and decision support system application in Porto Marghera case-study (Italy).
Agostini, P1, Carlon, C2, Critto, A2, 3, Marcomini, A3, 1 IDEAS, University Ca' Foscari, Venice, Italy2 CVR (Venice Research Consortium), Venice, Italy3 Dept. of Environmental Sciences- University Ca' Foscari, Venice, Italy
ABSTRACT- Among the different problems related to decision-making about contaminated sites, a new rising one is the management of contaminated megasites. Megasites are large sites (hundreds/thousands of hectares), which present complex contamination patterns due to past or current industrial activities, where many and different stakeholders are involved and where complete remediation is usually technically and economically unfeasible. Industrial ports (e.g. the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Porto Marghera in Italy) and mining areas (e.g. the Bitterfeld region in Germany and the Tarnowskie Gory site in Poland) are examples of megasites. The limitation of the total clean-up option requires the definition of temporal and spatial remediation priorities, addressing risk minimization objectives, socio-economic benefits and constraints, and wide consensus among stakeholders. In this communication we present the experience gathered with the remediation of the Porto Marghera site, with a special focus on strategies and innovative tools that might be adopted in other megasites. Porto Marghera, near Venice, is the largest contaminated site of national interest in Italy (approximately 3500 hectares), where main activities are petrochemical and chemical plants. Strategies and tools adopted were: a master planning of remediation works at the site based on a risk minimization approach (interventions over ca. 2000 hectares for the next 20 years and total estimated costs of about 3 billion dollars); a whole site approach, aiming at integrating properties and disciplines, and the need for a sustainable planning; the stakeholders involvement through the Program Agreement on Chemistry and the development of a decision support system called DESYRE. DESYRE is a GIS-based tool which supports assessment and management of contaminated sites through site characterization, socio-economic valuation on the area of concern, risk assessment and zoning, technologies selection and alternative remediation scenarios development. The system has been applied to two sub-areas of Porto Marghera.
Key words: contaminated megasites, integrated assessment, decision support system