A comparative analysis of ecological status assessment in river water quality under the European Water Framework Directive

This study aims to present an overview of incorporating the Water Framework Directive into Italian law through Law 152/06. Subsequently, it will focus on a case study involving 34 rivers in the Salerno Province, utilizing data obtained from ARPA Campania. This work analyses the macro pollution indicators of the observed rivers using two aggregated indexes, namely PLM and PLMeco. These indexes were introduced by Italian legislation in 1999 and 2006, respectively. The results show the quality of the river and the variations observed over the years in the Province of Salerno, utilizing non-parametric tests. [Display omitted]