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Evaluating groundwater resource of an urban alluvial area through the development of a numerical model

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Abstract

As established in the European Water Framework Directive, the development of groundwater numerical models is fundamental for adopting water management plans aimed at preserving the water resource and reducing environmental risks. In this paper, authors present a methodology for the estimation of groundwater resource of an alluvial valley, in an urban area characterized by a complex hydrostratigraphic setting and scarcity of hydrogeological data; the study area is the urban and sub-urban area of Rome (Italy). A previous, elaborated hydrostratigraphic model set the base for the development of 3D, steady state, sub-basin scale numerical model, implemented by the finite-difference code MODFLOW 2000®; the water system components were derived by elaboration of available data. The alluvial aquifer of the Tiber River Valley, which runs in the middle of the City in a NNW–SE direction, has been analyzed in detail, since it is covered by a densely populated area hosting most of Rome’s historical heritage, and it is characterized by low quality geotechnical parameters. Results suggest that in areas with high hydrostratigraphic complexity and scarcity of hydrogeological data, a sub-basin scale, and steady-state numerical model can be very helpful to verify the conceptual model and reduce the uncertainty on the water budget components. The proposed steady-state model constitutes the base for future applications of transient state and local scale models, required for sustainable water management.

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Acknowledgments

The present study was carried out in the framework of the UrbiSIT project, led by the CNR-IGAG (Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the National Research Council of Italy) in collaboration with the University of Rome “Roma Tre”. The UrbiSIT project was promoted and funded by the National Civil Protection Department (DPC) in order to create tools and guidelines for geohazard assessment in urban areas. This paper is part of the Ph-D thesis of Cristina Di Salvo. Authors would like to thank F. Marconi and F. Pennica for their help in ArcGIS and database management. Authors are also grateful to all people working in the LINQ- Laboratorio di Idrogeologia Numerica e Quantitativa, Dipartimento Scienze Geologiche, Università Roma Tre for providing hydrogeological data. Authors wish also to thank prof. Daniel T. Feinstein (University of Winsconsin-Milwaukee and USGS) for his precious support in the development of the numerical model.

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  1. CNR-IGAG, Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, Area della Ricerca di Roma1-Montelibretti, Via Salaria Km 29.300, 00015, Monterotondo (RM), Italy

    C. Di Salvo, M. Moscatelli & G. P. Cavinato

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, Laboratorio di Idrogeologia Numerica e Quantitativa (LINQ), Università degli Studi Roma Tre, L.go San Murialdo, 1, 00146, Rome, Italy

    R. Mazza & G. Capelli

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  1. C. Di Salvo
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  2. M. Moscatelli
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  3. R. Mazza
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  4. G. Capelli
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  5. G. P. Cavinato
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Correspondence to C. Di Salvo.

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Di Salvo, C., Moscatelli, M., Mazza, R. et al. Evaluating groundwater resource of an urban alluvial area through the development of a numerical model. Environ Earth Sci 72, 2279–2299 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3138-4

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