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Our analysis of river Lambro water
Our analysis of river Lambro water
Premises
Premises
The Lambro is a river in Lombardy and a left-bank tributary of the Po.
It is widely considered the most polluted watercourse in the entire river Po basin. Two centuries of heavy industrialization along its banks have left deep chemical and biological scars. Studies have detected copper and chromium at 7 and 18 times natural background levels respectively. Mercury, zinc, lead, and cadmium contamination peaked between the 1960s and 1990s, mirroring the region's industrial boom.
In February 2010, criminal sabotage caused 2 600 cubic metres of oil to spill into the river, triggering a major ecological disaster that reached the Po.
Restoration projects have been attempted for years, but the Lambro remains one of Europe's starkest examples of long-term industrial damage to a river.
We wanted to analyse in first person how polluted is the river in the city of Monza.
Our water analysis
Our water analysis
DATE: 16 december 2025
PLACE: Via S. Maddalena, Monza
WEATHER CONDITION: light rain
Materials
Materials
two beakers
test tubes
empty bottle
pH universal indicator
pHmeter with termometer
conductivity meter
reagent strips for water
Procedure
Procedure
Immerse a bottle in the water of river Lambro.
Transfer the freshly collected water into two beakers.
Insert the pH meter in the first beaker to measure pH and temperature. Immediately measure the pH also with the universal indicator. Write down the measured parameters.
Insert the conductivity meter into the second beaker and measure conductivity and temperature. Write down both parameters.
In the laboratory, pour the collected water into a test tube. Dip a rapid test strip into water for 2 seconds. Hold the strip horizontally for 30 seconds and write down the measured values.
This measurement is repeated twice, calculating the average for each parameter.
Results
Results
Conclusions
Conclusions
All measured parameters are below the limits set by law.
From the results obtained, the water of the Lambro River appears to be chemically quite clean, with no presence of dangerous substances, especially heavy metals such as mercury, lead and chromium.
The presence of nitrates (25 mg/l) may be connected to agricultural activities in the Lambro Valley area and indicates a nutritional intake that can cause eutrophication.
ARPA measurements of Lambro water
ARPA measurements of Lambro water
Thanks to ARPA data relative to the year 2024, the most recent public data available, we could compare our results with official analysis.
Moreover, we could consider many other pollutats.
We studied the data from the Lesmo Peregallo station. We calculated the annual average for each parameter and compared it with the limits set by law.
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