The project is aimed at reducing the hydraulic risk in the city of Carsoli, located in Abruzzo Region in central Italy. Inside the city centre, the Vallemura and the Turano rivers were channelled into rectangular concrete riverbeds, with buildings placed on both sides, which leaves little room for upgrading solutions. Downtown, the confluence between the two watercourses is a critical point for hydraulic safety, due to its inadequate connection and because of the presence of large and dense civil infrastructures (such as roads, railway lines), residential properties (high proportion of unplanned settlements), industrial-production areas, degraded environment.
The envisaged solutions include the implementation of two detention basins, one built on and the other adjacent to the river, hydraulic engineering works to regulate the waterways in the town, as well as ancillary environmental structures. The works are located in the catchment area of the Turano torrent, a tributary to the Velino river. The works are carried out both in rural sites and in areas subject to human pressure. For this reason, the design choices have favoured low-impact solutions based on a specific landscape study.
The rationale for selecting the most suitable solutions to make the area safer is based on the follow criteria: (1) safeguarding and expanding natural flooding areas (SuDS approach) limiting man-made control structures; (2) promoting maintenance of riverbed, drainage systems and flood protection works to ensure their reliability over time; (3) rehabilitation of river areas for recreational purposes; (4) Promoting a suitable urban planning development.
