The project aims on the whole at dealing with the socioeconomic and environmental emergency of the Aterno-Pescara river basin through a comprehensive solution for the criticalities related with the quantity and quality of water resources, with available drinking water (water supply) and with the sustainable use of water sources.
Specific goals of the Project:
- Ensure an efficient and sustainable use of drinking water in the valley of the city of L’Aquila, in ordinary and emergency situation in order to provide a proper managed water supply system;
- Protect and improve the environmental status of the Aterno river, ensure the minimum ecological flow, now deeply affected by the over-exploitation of the resource;
- Restore and preserve the aquifers for the water supply in the Aterno-Pescara river basin by reducing water extraction.
Moreover, considering the non-compliance with the minimum ecologic flow due to over-exploitation for crop irrigation, the purpose of the project was to reorganize the existing irrigation system in order to reduce water leakage. The selected solution, based on the technical, economic, social and environmental study (ESIA), includes the extraction of an annual average flow of 550 l/s from the Campotosto lake and water conveyance to the Capitignano plain where an hydroelectric power plant is used for the exploitation of the hydraulic jump. Downstream of this plant, part of the flow(290 l/s) is conveyed to a water system that supplies water to the upland valley of Aterno and L’Aquila, whilst the other part of the flow is conveyed to the river so as to ensure the minimum ecological flow and to supply the irrigation system of the Capitignano plain.
