MENICHINI M. (2012) - A multidisciplinary approach to define the hydrogeological model of aquifer systems in the "Fiume Versilia" catchment and the adjacent coastal plain (Northwest Tuscany, Italy).
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1 - INTRODUCTION
Water is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential for life on earth, for development and for the environment.
The perception that water is also an economic and a social asset leads to the awareness of its roles and its importance in the different socio-economic and political systems. Water is a resource only partially renewable, so it needs an efficient management to protect it and to ensure its adequacy for the future generation.
Emerging issues related to the overexploitation of water resources quantitatively can be defined as a decrease of the groundwater level and a reduction of the flow rate of springs, where as qualitatively are related to pollutions due to substance used in agriculture, compounds of industrial origin and waste.
The protection and the rational use of groundwater resources represent very difficult target to be achieved, considering the complex related problems and the difficulties to initiate policies that reserve particular attention to the effective protection of environment in general and, groundwater resource in particular. This policies couldn’t be realize with the traditional approach of emergency, but the management of water resource must be based on a preventive politics that operates on causes (SALVEMINI, 2010).
The Apuan Alps region has always generated a strong attraction for its important water resources. Today, in this area the socio-economic and scientific interest on water is increasing to satisfy the strong water demand and the threat of quali-quantitative impoverishment of this resource.
The area is characterized by a significant density of population and productive activities, so by a large water demand, especially during the summer period that coincides with the period of minimum hydrologic level. In the past recurrent crises in water quantity and quality occurred, the latter related also to saline intrusion.
Through optimal managements of the resources, the hydrogeological conditions of the area of interest may allow to resolve these problems. To achieve this goal it requires a detailed knowledge of the aquifer systems through a multidisciplinary study that is based on the geological, hydrogeological and geochemical consideration and this can define a reliable hydrogeological conceptual model.
For these reasons the Department of Earth Science of the Pisa University (Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, DST) and the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources of the National Research Council of Italy (Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse, IGG-CNR) have carried out a multidisciplinary study aimed at a groundwater qualitative and quantitative assessment of the Apuan Alps area and the adjacent coastal plane.
MENICHINI M. (2012) - A multidisciplinary approach to define the hydrogeological model of aquifer systems in the "Fiume Versilia" catchment and the adjacent coastal plain (Northwest Tuscany, Italy).
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The purpose of this study is to define the quali-quantitative conceptual model of the aquifer system based on geological, hydrogeological and geochemical-isotopic methodologies. The approach of this resource is in part innovative in respect to the previous studies done in this area (GIARDI et al., 1983; DUCHI & FERRARI, 1984; MUSETTI,
1985; FERRARI et al. 1987; ORSINI, 1987; FORTI et al., 1990; CIVITA et al., 1991; SALVATORI,
1994; SALVATORI, 1997; MUSSI et al., 1998; TABBÌ, 1999; GIUNTINI, 1999; PICCINI et al.,
1999; DOVERI, 2000; TESSITORE, 2002; PRANZINI, 2004, DOVERI, 2004; DOVERI et al., 2005;
REGIONE TOSCANA, 2007, REGIONE TOSCANA, 2008) both for its interdisciplinary character
and in using methodologies not often included in hydrogeological studies, but of great utility, such as the water isotopes.
In particular the water resource is distributed in two main typology of aquifer: the porous aquifer of the coastal plane, characterized by a relatively good continuity and uniformity of the hydraulic properties and fractured aquifer of the mountain areas. Then the multidisciplinary study is structured on two levels: one, for the fractured aquifers in the mountain areas and the other for the aquifers of the coastal plane.
Regarding the fractured aquifer the two main aims of the project are:
- to describe and reconstruct the water-rock interaction processes in order to define the hydrogeological and geochemical conceptual model;
- to identify and define the feeding zones of the most important springs based on the studies of the main geological structures and hydrogeological/geochemical-isotopical considerations.
Regarding the coastal plane, the main objective of the study is to define a reliable conceptual model based on a multidisciplinary approach that highlight the main alimentation component and the main processes present in the system based on geological hydrogeological and geochemical considerations.
Elaboration of all the data provided by this study and the confrontations with the previous studies considerations led to a definition of a detailed and exhaustive conceptual model of the groundwater circulation. In particular, the feedings areas of the main circulation systems, the most important components of alimentation, the possible exchange between surface water and groundwater and the relationship between mountain and coastal aquifers are defined.
Based on a detailed conceptual hydrogeological model a groundwater-flow modelling has been implemented and calibrated. Groundwater flow modelling is an important tool frequently used to simulate future scenes to program a cautious exploitation of water resource, avoiding its quali-quantitative depletion.
The results obtained from this study, represent a base for a technical-scientific operation for optimizing the management of water resources with the aim of achieving
MENICHINI M. (2012) - A multidisciplinary approach to define the hydrogeological model of aquifer systems in the "Fiume Versilia" catchment and the adjacent coastal plain (Northwest Tuscany, Italy).
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the correct balance between socio-economic development and preservation of these resources.
1.1 DISCIPLINARY CONTRIBUTIONS AND COLLABORATIONS
The study of complex systems such as those of the Apuan Alps requires an interactive contribution of scientific approach and varied methodologies that confer to the study a multidisciplinary character.
The setting of this thesis reflects this interdisciplinary character recording different disciplinary contributions, different not only for scientific and cultural identity but also for methodologies of research.
These different contributions attribute to the active participation of a university teacher and researcher that together with the tutor and co-tutor, were involved in the conduction and development of this thesis.
These collaborations are listed below with the aim to highlight the multidisciplinary character of this thesis and, in general, of hydrogeological studies, believing that this approach represent an element of quality.
Structural Geology DR.ANDREA CERRINA FERONI
Geochemistry PROF.LUIGI MARINI E DR.MATTEO LELLI
Subsurface stratigraphy DR.SIMONE DA PRATO
