Cotecchia, V.

Torbido Spring is located at the foot of Mount Sirino (Basilicata, Italy). From the bottom upwards the geological formations include: Flinty Limestones with high secondary permeability, forming the spring aquifer; Siliceous Schists consisting of radiolarites and multicoloured jaspers; and Galestrino Flysch, formed of argillites and marls. The Spring is singular in that the artesian waters from the limestones which are at a depth of 80 m here, come to the surface because of the marked fissuring of the Siliceous Schists. The headworks consist of a system of unpumped wells. The groundwaters are intercepted before they leak away in the detrital surface cover and before they lose their hydrostatic head (more than 4 bar above ground level). The maximum discharge which can be abstracted and handled by the wellfield and appurtenant works is around 300 l/s. This permits peak demand to be met without any waste of resources and guarantees the annual hydrologic balance between recharge and discharge. These objectives are attained by continuous monitoring of the significant hydrogeological and hydraulic parameters.

l territorio murgiano-salentino, data la sua natura prevalentemente carsica, è praticamente privo di risorse idriche superficiali; d’altra parte lo stesso è dotato di risorse idriche sotterranee anche notevoli, che hanno a tutt’oggi consentito, per vaste aree, lo sviluppo delle attività produttive. La natura di tali risorse idriche sotterranee, le particolari fenomenologie che regolano i processi di alimentazione, di deflusso e di svuotamento nonché l’influenza esercitata dal mare, rendono quanto mai delicato il problema di una oculata gestione e di un corretto impiego delle acque sotterranee. Sono dunque di attualità i problemi relativi alla degradazione delle acque sotterranee, sia per fenomeni di contaminazione salina che per fenomeni di inquinamento antropico, derivanti dalla pratica di utilizzare il sottosuolo come ricettacolo di reflui anche non trattati. La corretta gestione e tutela del patrimonio idrico sotterraneo rappresenta quindi un obiettivo prioritario da perseguire a breve termine; a tal fine si fa ricorso a due tipi di approccio, attuati a diversa scala: a scala regionale si opera un controllo continuo dei fenomeni evolutivi che interessano la disponibilità e la qualità delle risorse idriche sotterranee; a scala locale, con il massimo dettaglio, si studiano le iniziative di tutela delle acque sotterranee di maggior pregio destinate al consumo umano attraverso la delimitazione delle aree di salvaguardia.

This paper contributes to geological and stratigraphical knowledge of a part of Southern Appennines: the study area is the Coccovello Mount (1505 m), near Campania-Basilicata regional border. The Coccovello Mount by a monoclinalic structure of Creataceous carbonatic rocks ( 1000 m thick) is characterized. With bio and chronostratigraphic results we are able to ascribe this carbonatic succession to Hauterivian-Coniacian age

The hydrogeological Apulian units are of coastal type and are mainly carbonate rocks of Mesozoic age. The rapid socio-economic growth, which has occurred in the past decades, has lead to different hazardous conditions in connection with groundwater quality. Groundwater for domestic, irrigation and industrial uses has been withdrawn in large quantities over the years; the aquifers are also increasingly becoming the ultimate "receptacle" for domestic and industrial wastewater. In order to characterise the evolutionary features of increasing saline and human-related pollution, data was gathered by a regionally based continuously operating hydrogeological monitoring network. It uses more than 100 wells, some of which are hundreds of meters deep, equipped with multiparameter sensors, temperature, conductivity and level gauges set up along the vertical axis and connected to a geo-information system. Water samples are periodically taken from the wells, the samples are analysed by chemical, physical and bacteriological parameters with the aim of detecting any farming and industrial pollutants. The new system, which provides real-time information for groundwater planning, scheduling and management, is described together with some preliminary results. The impact of seawater intrusion on water quality at regional level is also discussed.

Sandy levels bearing bicarbonate-sodium waters, having hydraulic heads sometimes higher than ground level, have been observed during drillings in the Pliocene-Pleistocene clayey formation of the Tavoliere area. Hypotheses on origin and renewal capability of groundwater of these levels have been put forward considering usual hydrogeological parameters from discharge tests and geochemical and isotopic data.

Parruta Spring (220 m asl) lies at the foot of the eastern slopes of Serra Murazze. The area is characterized by the overthrusting of the Verbicaro Unit on the Liguide Unit (Chaps 1 and 2, Fig. 1). Widespread tectonization,relief energy and structural attitude initiated deep gravity deformation and lateral spreading of the slopes, followed by roto-translational slides and flows (Chaps 2 anbd 3, Figs 2 and 3). Immediately upstream of the spring there are broken carbonate-rock masses resulting from lateral spreading (Chap 3, Fig. 3). These fractured rocks overlie blackish siliceous marls and argillites which are capped by a 10-m thick level of cataclastic limestone sands (Fig. 4). Deformation of the top of the argillaceous formation created basins that favour groundwater flow towards Parrutta Spring. Above these depressions the waters are fresher and colder and the hydrogeological characteristics of the wells are better (Chap. 4, Figs 2.5 and 6). The investigations confirm the working hypotheses adopted. Interpretation of the salinity and temperature logs, in particular, indicates that such investigations are particularly significant in hydrogeological environments of this type.

The SINTACS method for the aquifer vulnerability evaluation is experimented in a selected area of the Murgia hydrogeological unit (southern Italy). The test area is representative for the large and deep carbonate Murgia aquifer and for anthropic effects on groundwater.

During the last decades the coming up of new technologies as well as new needs has increased the interest in groundwater likely to be found in aquifers below massively urbanized areas, even where the groundwater quality does not permit any kind of use. Such an assumption has led to study the characteristics of chemical-physical degradation of groundwater flowing in the aquifer outcropping where the town of Bari is located. Surveys proved that significant groundwater alterations are mostly due to massive widespread water discharges and sewage releasing in the subsoil. Air-conditioning systems which often use groundwater for heat exchange play an important role. In order to assess the spatial effects of such heat exchanges, mostly unauthorized, numerical simulations were realised.

The SINTACS method for the aquifer vulnerability evaluation is experimented in a selected area of the Murgia hydrogeological unit (southern Italy). The test area is representative for the large and deep carbonate Murgia aquifer and for anthropic effects on groundwater. The experience of mapping elaboration, based a complex monitoring activity, is described.

The predisposing factors and the determining factors of seawater intrusion in wide carbonate aquifers of Apulia ( Southern Italy) are characterized. Main predisposing factors prove the sedimentation environment, the tectonic-karstic evolution, the geometry of the aquifers in relation to the coastline, the depth of the aquifers, the existence of underground outflows and their chemical nature. The effect of salinity pollution and its trend was characterized using data from a regional monitoring network, considering logs time series, and also from well loggings. The intensive and widespread use has led to a progressive deterioration in water quality, particularly in the Salento area, right where the aquifer is most susceptible to seawater intrusion.