Sirmione Loses Blue Flag Due to Water Quality Issues on Lake Garda
Sirmione was unable to retain the European Blue Flag it had obtained just twelve months ago from the Italian section of Fee, the Federation for Environmental Education in Europe. A sudden awakening after an extraordinary year-long dream, caused by the state of the waters of Lake Garda, particularly those facing the peninsula, which, in the last part of the past season, behaved a bit unpredictably.
The reasons for the withdrawal of the Blue Flag
Unfortunately for Sirmione, the quality of bathing waters ranks first among the parameters used to determine the final score for the location and, consequently, to assign the coveted **Blue Flag of Europe**. In Italy, only two inland water locations won this prestigious award in 2000: **Verbania**, on Lake Maggiore, and Sirmione on Garda.
This was an extraordinary success, which, unfortunately, was not repeated this year. The Blue Flag is valid only for the year it is awarded. It can therefore be withdrawn at any moment if the conditions for such a measure are met. A beach must meet numerous criteria: water quality, environmental education and information, safety, and beach services.
The criteria for the Blue Flag and Sirmione’s situation
Each of these aspects is then further evaluated based on about a dozen specific criteria. Sirmione was unlucky because only the water quality criterion was not met. A couple of negative reports at the end of the last season were enough to make the flag’s withdrawal inevitable. For example, this year, things started well.
The recent bulletin issued by the ASL di Salò declared that all five beaches in Sirmione are suitable for bathing. All other criteria assessed by the European Fee last year remained unchanged. A real shame.
Participation data and testimonials from European entities and countries
The municipalities involved in the Fee survey were 352, but only 155 responded by submitting the questionnaire. This year, the recognition was awarded to 70 municipalities across the entire territory, and to 11 just for specific beaches. “There is generally an improvement in the quality of seaside resorts, although — according to a note from the Italian Fee — none of the awarded municipalities are international tourist destinations like Taormina, Capri, Ischia, and Tropea… Well done to the beaches of Liguria (11 awarded), Tuscany (9), Emilia-Romagna (7), and Marche (9),” it states.
Supporting the campaign in Italy were Cobat and Coou, mandatory consortia for collecting batteries and used oils from the Direzione Generale della Pesca of the Ministry of Agricultural Policies. At the European level, Italy is doing well, ranking among the top countries. Spain promoted 89 beaches, Greece 77, France 74, and Turkey 42.
The reason cited for the withdrawal of the Blue Flag from Sirmione was a single data point. According to Fee experts, “priority is given to bathing water quality based on regulations that are even more restrictive than those outlined in Dpr 470/1982 on bathing waters.” Unfortunately, no other location along the Garda Riviera has been able to step in for Sirmione.
Reflections on water quality and missing requirements
This, perhaps, is the point that should prompt reflection: is it possible that out of nearly thirty municipalities overlooking Italy’s largest lake, none have deserved the European Blue Flag? It’s possible because, evidently, even with good bathing water quality, other guarantees for the remaining requirements were not met: well-maintained urban furniture, environmental education courses, initiatives supporting the environment, hotel facilities, protected areas, and equipped bathing establishments. These are requirements that Sirmione has fulfilled and continues to preserve.
