Actions

Planned activities include follow actions:

A participatory process in 5 pilot lakes (Garda, Bracciano and Trasimeno in Italy and Costance and Chiemsee in Germany) aiming at drafting the Lake Paper, a sort of voluntary commitment signed by all local authorities and communities. The Lake Paper will further suggest: sewage limits, monitoring programmes, enhanced procedures for water treatment, provisions for reducing industrial and household impact and tips for local awareness actions.

The approach to draft the Lake Paper in the 5 pilots lakes will be later promoted and disseminated to additional municipalities located nearby the main Italian and German lakes not involved in the Participatory Process.

Designing and testing of a standard microplastic monitoring protocol in two pilot areas, Trasimeno and Bracciano Lakes to evaluate levels of microplastics in those basins. Once approved, Life Blue Lakes will provide Italian and German relevant authorities with the final protocol.

Designing and testing of a technical protocol for Wastewater Treatment Plants in the pilot area of Garda Lake to identify technical solutions aimed at reducing the input of microplastics into lake basins downstream of the Treatment Plants. Once defined, managers and technicians of the main Wastewater Treatment Plants in Italy and Germany will be informed about the protocol by training seminars.

An advocacy campaign for cosmetics, outdoor clothes and pneumatics companies.

Creation of a working panel aiming at promote a national and European legislative framework to protect lakes from microplastics. The working panel will draft a Lake White Paper for National relevant authorities (Ministry of Environment, Agriculture, Health, Development, etc.), intended to be introduced in bilateral meeting.