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Groundwater Vulnerability Mapping and Ancestral Systems of Water Galleries (Porto Urban Area, NW Portugal): A Design on Nature-Based Solutions

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Advances in Geoethics and Groundwater Management : Theory and Practice for a Sustainable Development

Part of the book series: Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation ((ASTI))

Abstract

Groundwater resources are crucial to the settlement of populations, and their quantity and quality are essential to the development of urban areas. In fact, nature-based solutions for water were considered in many places using ancestral systems of water galleries and springs to supply urban areas. That design based in natural solutions had proven during centuries to be much less demanding and resourceful. A multidisciplinary approach was applied in Porto urban area (NW Portugal), to assess the urban groundwater supply and ancestral network of water galleries and springs. The infiltration potential index in urban areas (IPI-Urban) is dependent on several parameters (e.g. lithology, structure, weathering grade, morphotectonics, land use, drainage, slope, rainfall, anthropogenic and urban hydraulic features, like the water supply, the sewer and the stormwater networks) which can be overlapped and cross-linked in a GIS environment. Moreover, several vulnerability indexes (DRASTIC, GODS, DRASTIC-Fm, SINTACS and SI) were outlined within a combined approach, and an evaluation of urban recharge was performed. All these permitted to improve the hydrogeological conceptual model for Porto urban area. Therefore, those old underground structures could be a positive asset as socio-economic, environmental and heritage drivers if are used nature-based solutions and good geoethical practices.

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Acknowledgements

This study was carried out partially under the framework of the LABCARGA|ISEP re-equipment programme (IPP-ISEP|PAD’2007/08), GeoBioTec|UA (UID/GEO/04035/2020), CITEUC (UID/Multi/00611/2020). The research was also funded by a doctoral scholarship to L. Freitas (SFRH/BD/117927/2016) by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) and, currently, by Project ReNATURE – Valorization of the Natural Endogenous Resources of the Centro Region (Centro 2020, Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000007, Portugal). This work is dedicated to the colleague Luís Ribeiro (1955–2020), a skilled professor of quantitative hydrogeology and mining engineer, with a unique outlook of the interlinkage of water, environment, Earth systems, arts and culture.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Cartography and Applied Geology (LABCARGA), Department of Geotechnical Engineering, School of Engineering (ISEP), Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Liliana Freitas, Maria José Afonso, José Martins Carvalho & Helder I. Chaminé

  2. CITEUC, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Liliana Freitas & Alcides J. S. C. Pereira

  3. Centre GeoBioTec UA, Aveiro, Portugal

    Maria José Afonso, José Martins Carvalho & Helder I. Chaminé

  4. CEGOT, Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Nicole Devy-Vareta

Authors
  1. Liliana Freitas
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  2. Maria José Afonso
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  3. Nicole Devy-Vareta
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  4. Alcides J. S. C. Pereira
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  5. José Martins Carvalho
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  6. Helder I. Chaminé
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liliana Freitas .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Portuguese Chapter of International Association of Hydrogeologists, CITEUC, University of Coimbra, Porto, Portugal

    Manuel Abrunhosa

  2. International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), Department of Geosciences, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal

    António Chambel

  3. International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG), Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INVG), Rome, Italy

    Silvia Peppoloni

  4. Portuguese Chapter of International Association of Hydrogeologists, Laboratory of Cartography and Applied Geology, Department of Geotechnical Engineering, School of Engineering (ISEP), Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Helder I. Chaminé

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Freitas, L., Afonso, M.J., Devy-Vareta, N., Pereira, A.J.S.C., Carvalho, J.M., Chaminé, H.I. (2021). Groundwater Vulnerability Mapping and Ancestral Systems of Water Galleries (Porto Urban Area, NW Portugal): A Design on Nature-Based Solutions. In: Abrunhosa, M., Chambel, A., Peppoloni, S., Chaminé, H.I. (eds) Advances in Geoethics and Groundwater Management : Theory and Practice for a Sustainable Development. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59320-9_105

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