Xinhua News Agency, Rome, Aug. 13 (Reporter Chen Zhanjie) Italy's coastal waters are seriously polluted and may face heavy fines from the European Union, according to a report released by the Italian environmental protection organization "Italian Environmental League" on the 13th.

Every summer for the past 30 years, the organization has sent volunteers and researchers aboard the "Galleon Green" environmental monitoring ship to sail along about 7,500 kilometers of Italy's coastline, collecting water samples and analyzing the water for bacteria, toxins and other pollutants.

From June 22 to August 12 this year, Galleon Green collected water samples from 261 coastal sites in 15 Italian regions, 57 percent of which came from the mouth of a river, canal or other waterway, and 43 percent from near a beach, the report said.

analysis showed that 39 percent of the water samples were "heavily contaminated" and 9 percent were "contaminated." River estuaries were the most polluted, with 106 of the 149 water samples taken showing "severe contamination".

The report said the lack of sewage treatment was the main cause of pollution in Italy's coastal waters and should be "an environmental emergency requiring urgent treatment".

The report also showed that Italy's coastal beaches were polluted. So far this year, the Italian Environmental Alliance has removed 328,000 pieces of litter, including bottles, caps and plastic sheets, from 500 beaches across Italy.

In May, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled to fine Italy 25 million euros for substandard collection and treatment of municipal sewage in 100 of the country's regions, and said it would fine Italy another 30 million euros every six months if it did not take steps to address the problem.

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