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In the Adriatic Sea, massive rainfall events are causing flooding of rivers and streams, with severe consequences on the environment. The consequent bacterial contamination of bathing water poses public health risks besides damaging tourism and the economy. This study was conducted in the framework of WATERCARE, an EU Interreg Italy-Croatia Project, which aims at reducing the impact of microbial contamination on Adriatic bathing water due to heavy rainfall events drained in the local sewage network and; enhancing the quality of local waters; and providing support for the decision-making processes regarding the management of bathing water in line with EU regulations. The study involved the development of an innovative water quality integrated system that helps meet these objectives. It consists of four components: a real time hydro-meteorological monitoring system; an autosampler to collect freshwater samples during and after significant rainfall events; a forecast system to simulate the dispersion of pollutants in seawater; and a real-time alert system that can predict the potential ecological risk from the microbial contamination of seawater. The system was developed and tested at a pilot site (Fano, Italy). These preliminary results will be used to develop guidelines for urban wastewater and coastal system quality assessments to contribute to develop policy actions and final governance decisions.

Aspartate glucan, glycine glucan, and serine glucan obtained by reductive amination of oxalacetic acid, glyoxylic acid, and ..beta..-hydroxypyruvic acid, respectively, with polyglucosamine were tested as chromatographic chelating media. Crosslinked glycine glucan exhibited high capacities for cobalt and copper, even in acidic solutions (pH 2.9). Breakthrough points for 10 mg/L solutions through 6.0 x 0.6 cm columns containing 200 mg of polymer were at 1.8 L for both ions; for 1 mg/L solutions, they were at 4.0 and 12.0 L. for cobalt and copper, respectively. Crosslinked glycine glucan could remove microgram amounts of cobalt and copper from fluoride and chloride brines. Cobalt and copper could be separated by elution with 0.25M sulfuric acid.