Artificial recharge of the phreatic aquifer in the upper Friuli
plain, Italy, by a large infiltration basin
P. Teatini, A. Comerlati
Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering,
University of Padova, Padova, Italy
T. Carvalho, A.-Z. G#252tz
Terra, Ambiente e Recursos Híricos Lda.,Portugal
A. Affatato, L. Baradello, F. Accaino, D. Nieto
National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental
Geophysics, Trieste Italy
G. Martelli, G. Granati, G. Paiero
Department of Chemistry, Physics and Environment, University
of Udine, Udine, Italy
To cope with the general reduction of water
availability and increase the subsurface storage of highquality
surficial waters, an artificial recharge project is
ongoing in northern Italy within the WARBO LIFE+
Project funded by EU. WARBO is aimed at implementing
large-scale use of artificial recharge in Italy where water
directives still strongly limit its application. In this context,
the Mereto recharge site was selected in the upper Fruili
plain where the water availability is guaranteed during
winter period by the Tagliamento and Ledra Rivers. An
infiltration basin, about 5.5 m deep and 45x7 m2 wide,
was built at Mereto in the early 2000s but the possibility of
implementing the recharge has been allowed only very
recently. The site is characterized by an elevation of 105 m
asl and the depth to the groundwater table averages 50 m.
Below a few meter-thick organic soil, the aquifer is composed
by coarse deposits with an estimated thickness of
100 m and an average vertical hydraulic conductivity on
the order of 10-4 m/s. A ~0.1 m3/s infiltration flow has
been preliminary estimated (corresponding to an infiltration
rate of 60 cm/h). Geophysical investigations (electrical
resistivity tomography, high-resolution seismic surveys)
together with infiltration and pumping tests have been
carried out to characterize the vadose zone and the
unconfined aquifer in the study area. Functional approaches
and three-dimensional (3D) Finite Element numerical
computations have been used to predict the effect of the
artificial recharge. The results of these investigations will
greatly reduce the hydrogeological knowledge gaps and
will be used to fine tune the recharge program and to define
the monitoring concept. This contribution aims to provide a
methodology for the implementation of managed aquifer
recharge programs using existing structures
