| Abstract
| - A GIS-based procedure for predicting pesticide exposurein surface waters has been applied on a pilot riverbasin characterized by intensive agricultural activity. Thepredictive approach has been validated through experimentalmonitoring, performed by collecting manual and automaticwater samples during the productive season. Five activeingredients (terbuthylazine, metolachlor, alachlor, linuron,fenitrothion) were selected for analysis to validate thepredictive approach. Comparison between predicted andexperimental values showed good agreement for terbuthylazine and metolachlor (used in large volumes withinthe basin), demonstrating the reliability of the approach.However, some anomalous results were obtained for someof the other chemicals, which serve to highlight thedifficulties in getting reliable input data, in particular onapplication patterns (rate and time). Furthermore, the valueof mapping pesticide exposure on the medium-largescale is described, and the limitations of the reportedpredictive approach are discussed.
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