The VIOLA Project: Natural background levels for the groundwater bodies of Apulia Region (Southern Italy)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Masciale ◽  
Stefano Amalfitano ◽  
Eleonora Frollini ◽  
Stefano Ghergo ◽  
Marco Melita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Threshold Values ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Apulia Region ◽  
Background Levels ◽  
Sampling Procedures

<p>The European Water Directives (WDs, 2000/60/EC; 2006/118/EC) force Member States to proceed to the characterization of groundwater bodies in order to define their quantitative and chemical status and their environmental objectives. Since the earlier years of this century, the Department of Water Resources Management of the Apulia Region implemented the WDs by setting a wide groundwater monitoring network, delineating regional groundwater bodies and characterizing their status. The groundwater bodies characterization showed that the risk of not achieving a good status was generally related to salt contamination and the exceedance of the threshold values or the quality standards for some parameters (e.g., NO<sub>3</sub>, Fe, Mn), as expected for regions with a predominantly agricultural vocation and characterized by extensive coastal development. The main regional aquifers reside in the carbonate bedrock characterized by intense fracturing and karstification.</p><p>The groundwater Directive 2006/118/EC allows the evaluation of Natural Background Levels (NBLs) to be taken into account when establishing the relevant threshold values.</p><p>During the last years, the IRSA-CNR collaborated with the National Environmental Protection Agency (ISPRA) in defining scientifically based guidelines for the NBLs assessment and clarifying some methodological aspects. These guidelines suggest excluding water samples characterised by high levels of specific markers clearly indicating anthropogenic inputs.</p><p>The project "VIOLA - Natural background levels for the groundwater bodies of Apulia Region ", has been funded by the Department of Water Resources Management of the Apulia Region for carrying out the application and validation of the above mentioned methodologies and to develop and test methodologies better tailored for coastal aquifers. In particular, isotopic techniques will be used to discriminate between the anthropogenic and natural origin of the salinization and historical data of groundwater salinization will be processed in order to study its evolution in time. . Finally, the investigation of innovative microbiological techniques is envisaged to evaluate how changes in groundwater quality will affect the resident microbial community properties involved in C-flux.</p><p>The VIOLA project will last three years during which the IRSA-CNR will:</p><ul><li>collect and order all the background knowledge relating to the hydro-geo-chemical characteristics of the Apulian groundwater bodies,</li> <li>define adequate groundwater sampling procedures and assessment protocols for the NBLs,</li> <li>carry out field activities, aimed at sampling groundwater at a specific monitoring network and measuring values of main physico-chemical and microbiological parameters, in the study area of the coastal Murgia groundwater body, and</li> <li>produce tools to support the planning and management of groundwater resources integrated in a GIS environment.</li> </ul><p>This contribution aims at providing an overview at the ongoing activities at the regional scale, illustrating the groundwater bodies setting, the main pressures and the preliminary derivation of NBL using the historical data.</p>

scholarly journals Establishment of a catchment monitoring network through a participatory approach in a small rural catchment in South Africa

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 3793-3837 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. M. Kongo ◽  
J. R. Kosgei ◽  
G. P. W. Jewitt ◽  
S. A. Lorentz
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Hydrological Monitoring

Abstract. The establishment of a catchment monitoring network is a process, from the inception of the idea to its implementation, the latter being the construction of relevant gauging structures and installation of the various instruments. It is useful that the local communities and other stakeholders are involved and participate in such a process as was realised during the establishment of the hydrological monitoring network in the Potshini catchment in the Bergville district in the KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa. The paper illustrates the participatory application of various methods and techniques for establishing a hydrological monitoring network, in a small rural inhabited catchment, to monitor hydrological processes at both field and catchment scale for research purposes in water resources management. The authors conclude that the participation of the local community and other stakeholders in catchment monitoring and instilling the sense of ownership and management of natural resources to the local communities needs to be encouraged at all times. Success stories in water resources management by local communities can be realized if such a process is integrated with other development plans in the catchment at all forums with due recognition of the social dynamics of the communities living in the catchment.

scholarly journals Establishment of a catchment monitoring network through a participatory approach in a rural community in South Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 2507-2525 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. M. Kongo ◽  
J. R. Kosgei ◽  
G. P. W. Jewitt ◽  
S. A. Lorentz
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Hydrological Processes ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Hydrological Monitoring

Abstract. The establishment of a catchment monitoring network is a process, from the inception of the idea to its implementation, the latter being the construction of relevant gauging structures and installation of the various instruments. It is useful that the local communities and other stakeholders are involved and participate in such a process, as was highlighted during the establishment of the hydrological monitoring network in the Potshini catchment in Bergville District in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The paper highlights the participatory establishment of a hydrological monitoring network in a small rural inhabited catchment, in line with the overall objective of the Smallholder System Innovations (SSI) research programme, to monitor hydrological processes at both field and catchment scale for water resources management research purposes. The engagement and participation of the Potshini community precipitated a learning opportunity for both the researchers and the local community on (i) the understanding of hydrological processes inherent in the catchment (ii) appreciating the inherent dynamics in establishing a catchment monitoring network in the midst of a community (iii) paradigm shift on how to engage different stakeholders at different levels of participation. The participatory engagement in the monitoring process led to appreciation and uptake of some of the research results by the Potshini community and ensured continued support from all stakeholders. This paper is of the view that the participation of the local community and other stakeholders in catchment monitoring and instilling a sense of ownership and management of natural resources to the local communities needs to be encouraged at all times. Success stories in water resources management by local communities can be realized if such a process is integrated with other development plans in the catchment at all forums, with due recognition of the social dynamics of the communities living in the catchment.

Tools for the implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM) in the Caribbean

Water Policy ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 859-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Senecal ◽  
Chandra A. Madramootoo
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Collaborative Process ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
International Agencies ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
National Governments

While many countries and regional authorities in the Caribbean have embraced the concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM) and recognized its guiding principles as beneficial, few have possessed the capacity to implement it since its enunciation in the Dublin Principles of 1992. The Caribbean Water Initiative (CARIWIN) endeavoured over a 6-year period, 2006–2012, to build capacity in a collaborative process with national governments and regional and international agencies. The result of this collaborative process was the selection of three Caribbean-specific tools to support the implementation of the key components of IWRM. These tools were National Water Information Systems, the Caribbean Drought and Precipitation Monitoring Network, and Community Water Strategies. This paper describes these three tools and the process promoted through CARIWIN for their successful adoption and implementation, i.e. a program including professional development, institutional partnerships, research, and dissemination of knowledge.

scholarly journals Assessing Natural Background Levels in the Groundwater Bodies of the Apulia Region (Southern Italy)

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 958
Author(s):  
Rita Masciale ◽  
Stefano Amalfitano ◽  
Eleonora Frollini ◽  
Stefano Ghergo ◽  
Marco Melita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inorganic Compounds ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Software Tool ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
Apulia Region ◽  
Background Levels ◽  
Geochemical Parameters ◽  
Iron Manganese

Defining natural background levels (NBL) of geochemical parameters in groundwater is a key element for establishing threshold values and assessing the environmental state of groundwater bodies (GWBs). In the Apulia region (Italy), carbonate sequences and clastic sediments host the 29 regional GWBs. In this study, we applied the Italian guidelines for the assessment of the NBLs, implementing the EU Water Framework Directive, in a south-European region characterized by the typical Mediterranean climatic and hydrologic features. Inorganic compounds were analyzed at GWB scale using groundwater quality data measured half-yearly from 1995 to 2018 in the regional groundwater monitoring network (341 wells and 20 springs). Nitrates, chloride, sulfate, boron, iron, manganese and sporadically fluorides, boron, selenium, arsenic, exceed the national standards, likely due to salt contamination along the coast, agricultural practices or natural reasons. Monitoring sites impacted by evident anthropic activities were excluded from the dataset prior to NBL calculation using a web-based software tool implemented to automate the procedure. The NBLs resulted larger than the law limits for iron, manganese, chlorides, and sulfates. This methodology is suitable to be applied in Mediterranean coastal areas with high anthropic impact and overexploitation of groundwater for agricultural needs. The NBL definition can be considered one of the pillars for sustainable and long-term groundwater management by tracing a clear boundary between natural and anthropic impacts.

ECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN LOCAL BUSINESS:SIMULATION OF LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT IN SURAKARTA REGENCY

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-38
Author(s):  
Bhimo Rizky Samudro ◽  
Yogi Pasca Pratama
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Development Model ◽  
Business Activity ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Central Java ◽  
Specific Culture ◽  
Central Java Province

This paper will describe the function of water resources to support business activities in Surakarta regency, Central Java province. Surakarta is a business city in Central Java province with small business enterprises and specific culture. This city has a famous river with the name is Bengawan Solo. Bengawan Solo is a River Flow Regional (RFR) to support business activities in Surakarta regency. Concious with the function, societies and local government in Surakarta must to manage the sustainability of River Flow Regional (RFR) Bengawan Solo. It is important to manage the sustainability of business activity in Surakarta regency.   According to the condition in Surakarta regency, this paper will explain how the simulation of Low Impact Development Model in Surakarta regency. Low Impact Development is a model that can manage and evaluate sustainability of water resources in River Flow Regional (RFR). Low Impact Development can analys goals, structures, and process water resources management. The system can also evaluate results and impacts of water resources management. From this study, we hope that Low Impact Development can manage water resources in River Flow Regional (RFR) Bengawan Solo.  

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