L 'inquinamento delle acque sotterranee e le aree costiere: l 'esempio della Murgia e del Salento

The quality and quantity of groundwater flow is very important for hydrological and ecological equilibrium where groundwater flowing into sea and transitional environments, located near the coastline, is higher than river flow. This is the case of Murgia Plateau (Murgia) and of Salentine Peninsula (Salento), located in the Apulian Region, South-eastern Italy, study area selected for this research. Data collected by many monitoring campaigns in which wells and coastal springs were sampled are discussed. The specific electrical conductivity and the ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, chlorine, manganese and some heavy metals (As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Zn) concentrations are considered together with bacteriological parameters.The in force normative is considered as comparative criteria. The groundwater pollution is quite null only in inner areas of Murgia and Salento, constituted by a portion of recharge zone of aquifers. Groundwater flowing form these areas to the sea are progressively polluted. This pollution load discharges into sea or into humid area, constituting a huge hazard for ecological equilibrium of valuable sites.