Characterisation of the Ionian-Lucanian coastal plain aquifer

Abstract

This paper deals with a Southern Italy area, 40 km by 10 km wide, located where four river valleys anastomose themselves in the coastal plain. The geological and hydrogeological features of the study area and the chemical-physical groundwater characterisation have been inferred from the data analysis of 1130 boreholes. Some aquifers, connected among them, constituted by soils of different geological origin -marine terraces deposits, river valley alluvial deposits and alluvial and coastal deposits - have been considered. The coastal plain aquifer is the most interesting for practical utilisation. Groundwater flow is mainly unconfined in the marine terraces and in the river valleys while it becomes mostly confined in the coastal plain aquifer. An upper clayey layer overlies the sandy coastal aquifer characterised by a mean hydraulic conductivity value equal to 2.3 10-4 m/s. The bottom is a silty-clayey bed which lies under the sea level. Being the direct natural recharge extremely low, the recharge of this coastal aquifer is mainly guaranteed by the discharge from upward aquifers and from the river leakage. The new acquired knowledge permits to delineate scenarios useful for an optimization of the groundwater resources tapping and for pursuing the safeguard of them.