ANGUILLARA – ARSENIC: A SHIPLOAD OF …FINES IS ON ITS WAY

L’Europe set the Dec. 31, 2012 as the deadline to bring aqueducts into compliance with the now unfortunately famous standard setting the arsenic limit in the’water in 10 micrograms liter. As of next year, exceeding this limit will result in the payment of hefty fines by non-compliant administrations.

This news should make the tenants of the Anguillarino municipal building, responsible for the qualityà of’water supplied to households. The arsenic rate è consistently out of limits in the Biadaro and Ponton aqueducts of the’Elce, which feed several neighborhoods of Anguillara for about eight thousand inhabitants, and è close to the limits allowed in the’Montano aqueduct. Relative to Ponton of the’Elce the measured arsenic level è Three times the allowable limit.

The municipality asked the region for help, saying it was unable to resolve the situation on its own. It dates back to’Paolessi administration l’meeting held in the Ponton gymnasium of the’Elce with l’regional councillor Mattei who promised, in front of a hundred people, a decisive intervention within a few months.

April 2011, twenty months have passed since then, but not è changed nothing. L’water comes out of the tap always in the same condition, and nothing makes one believe in a quick resolution of the matter. On the other hand, it does not è più Marco Mattei l’councillor for environment and sustainable development of the region, replaced in the reshuffle of the Polverini junta following the Fiorito scandal, by Giuseppe Cangemi.

The new alderman, who comes from Rome's 20th municipality, in an area adjacent to the Sabatino municipality, has earmarked 12 million euros to build thirty-threeé potabilization plants in sixteen municipalities in the province of Viterbo.

Once again, then, at the time when some entity is disbursing funds to solve a problem that municipalities alone cannot address, Anguillara does not benefit from such aid, despite promises.