Our activities
Arpa Piemonte engages in control, support, technical-scientific consultancy and other activities in the service of the governing bodies of the Piedmont region and its provinces, for individual city councils and groups of municipalities, as well as for the regional Health Service Agencies, to assist them in accomplishing the tasks assigned to them by the laws for the preservation and the protection of the environment.
The principles inspiring the activities of Arpa Piemonte are:
- to address environmental problems according to an integrated multidisciplinary approach;
- give precedence to information and training activities regarding the conditions of the environment.
The Agency has undertaken and is actively involved in many international projects.
The projects are a valuable tool to obtain in-depth knowledge of the territory and define appropriate measures for its enhancement, they ensure an on-going exchange of data with project partners, making for higher levels of competence, professional expertise and experience.
The Agency supplies products and services within the framework of different areas of competence.
Prediction and prevention of risks of anthropic origin
Any human activity that entails the presence of production plants, infrastructures and technological networks has an impact on the environmental and natural components of the territory.
Extensive knowledge of the territory is gained primarily by means of monitoring networks. The main aspects monitored are:
- quality of the air;
- surface and ground waters;
- environmental radioactivity;
- conditions of the soil.
Prediction and prevention of risks of natural origin
Arpa Piemonte operates a hydrometeorological monitoring system that uses automatic tools to determine soil and atmospheric conditions. The interpretation of the data acquired and the results of data processing by modelling make it possible to carry out the continuous surveillance of the environment and the territory, to manage prediction, alerting and monitoring systems for situations requiring special attention, and to update on a continuous basis the climatological documentation for use in planning and programming activities.
The activities are carried out through the following services:
- regional hydrometeorological network;
- meteorological service;
- hydrological service;
- nivological service;
- regional seismic network.
Measuring activities for purposes of conformity checks
The conditions of the waters, the air, the soil, waste, noise, radiation, electromagnetic fields, technological and production plants are monitored through surveys, inspections, sampling and documental analyses. Special attention is devoted to defining methods of measurement and analysis resulting in the adoption of standardised procedure over the entire regional territories, in accordance with the national and international guidelines on environmental control.
Checking activities are organised according to the following types of service:
- integrated checks;
- verification of self-checks;
- verification of conformity.
Health care related activities
These activities start with an analysis, and the ensuing identification, of the risk factors present in the waters, foods, air and soil to arrive at a global assessment of the risks posed to the health of the population.
In short, these activities are carried out through:
- microbiological and chemical analyses of the water intended for human consumption and swimming pool waters;
- microbiological and chemical analyses of foods and drinks;
- microbiological and chemical analyses of cosmetic products;
- advanced microbiological activities.
Information on the environment
Arpa's activities are designed to improve the knowledge of the state of the environment and provide the administrations with the technical elements they need to define and implement their environmental policies, also through an understanding of the possible effects of their choices. Hence, the primary goal is to organise the data into integrated and readily accessible platforms, such as:
- Web GIS information services;
- environmental reporting (Report on the State of the Environment, indicators);
- communications to the citizens (Office for Relations with the Public (URP), Press Office, Web site);
- environmental education;
- management of the regional section of the waste cadastre.