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Environmental Tracer Approach to Discharge Evaluation of Pertuso Spring (Italy)

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Environmental Tracer Approach to Discharge Evaluation of Pertuso Spring (Italy) Recent Advances on Energy and Environment Environmental tracer approach to discharge evaluation of Pertuso Spring (Italy) G. SAPPA, F. FERRANTI, F. M. DE FILIPPI DICEA - Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering Sapienza University of Rome Via Eudossiana 18, 00184, Rome ITALY giuseppe.sappa@ uniroma1.it http://w3.uniroma1.it/giuseppe.sappa Abstract: - Discharge evaluation of karst springs used for drinking water supply is a key aspect for sustainable management and protection of the environment status of these water resources. Karst spring discharge is influenced by spatial and temporal variability involved in the transfer of water in hydrological cycle. Thus, quantification of karst spring water budget is essential to determine the groundwater available resources and for better understanding its seasonal changes in the hydrological year. This paper deals with the results of the first year of the Environmental Monitoring Plan, related to the catchment project of Pertuso Spring, which is going to be exploited to supply an important water network in the South part of Roma district. The aquifer feeding Pertuso Spring is the most important water resource in the southeast part of Latium Region, Central Italy, used for drinking, agriculture and hydroelectric supplies. This complex hydrogeological system is characterized by a strong local hydraulic connectivity between Aniene River and karst aquifer, witch influence the aquifer water budget. Thus, the application of water budget to evaluate Pertuso Spring discharge can be highly uncertain. The aim of this study is to combine stream discharge measurements and water geochemical properties in order to set up a reliable technique to evaluate karst spring discharge. As a matter of fact, in this paper, it is presented the application of Magnesium as a reliable tracer of discharge evaluation of Pertuso Spring. The concentration values of Magnesium ion have been recorded in some cross sections of the Aniene River, and they have been correlated with discharge values obtained by the traditional current meter, to provide information about groundwater and surface water interactions. The application of Magnesium as an environmental tracer provides a means to evaluate discharge of Pertuso Spring, as it came up to be a marker of the mixing of surface water and groundwater. On the other hand the Magnesium ion concentration provides information on changes in water quantity and quality. Key-Words: - Aniene River, carbonate aquifer, groundwater, karst spring discharge, Magnesium tracer, Pertuso Spring 1 Introduction dissolution of carbonate minerals. Therefore, Most of part of groundwater in the southeast part of quantification of karst spring discharge and water Latium Region, as in the whole Apennine budget formulation requires defining the karst Mountains chain [1] is stored in karst aquifers. network geometry, which is not, every time, The increasing of anthropogenic activities and measurable with reliability [8]. the impacts of climate change are identified to be As a matter of fact, the complex hydrological responsible of karst groundwater depletion [2]-[3]. behavior, on one hand, the high heterogeneity of Thus, groundwater exploitation in karst aquifers hydraulic properties [9]-[10], on the other one, make requires special management strategies to prevent data collection about karst networks and their quality and quantity depletion and to support groundwater very difficult, and the water budget decision-making for water resources management evaluation is very often too much uncertain. For this [4]-[5]. reason, environmental tracer are useful tools to In karst aquifers, the fast underground outflow in provide information about groundwater flow paths the saturated zone [6]-[7] is due to the and residence times in karst aquifer systems without heterogeneous distribution of permeability, because allowing for the specification of input locations and there are many conduits and voids developed by the times [11]-[12]. ISBN: 978-1-61804-356-6 54 Recent Advances on Energy and Environment 2 Problem Formulation 2.1 Geological and Hydrogeological Environmental tracers are natural and anthropogenic Framework chemical and isotopic substances that can be The karst aquifer feeding Pertuso Spring is located measured in groundwater and used to understand in the Upper Valley of the Aniene River (Latium, hydrologic properties of aquifers [13]-[14]. Central Italy), along the SW boundary of the Environmental tracers provide information about Simbruini Mountains, in the outcrop of Triassic- the flow and mixing processes of water coming Cenozoic carbonate rocks, locally covered by fluvial from different sources [15]-[16]. They are also and alluvial deposits and, at lower altitudes, by useful to point out directions of groundwater flow Quaternary sediments [29]. and to determine origin and residence times of karst The lithological sequence outcropping in the groundwater [17]-[18]. Typical natural tracers are Upper Valley of Aniene River includes the North- major ions, trace elements, dissolved organic carbon West part of the Lower-Middle Miocene Latium- and water isotopes [19]-[20]. Groundwater Abruzzi carbonate platform. The stratigraphic circulating in karst aquifer generally has great succession of dolomite, dolomitic limestone and concentrations of Calcium and Magnesium as the limestone is distributed homogeneously from North result of bedrock weathering processes. Variations to South and from East to West in the Valley [30]. of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in groundwater chemical The base of the stratigraphic series (Triassic) is compositions are used very successfully as natural widely spread among Filettino, Aniene River tracers in studies aiming to evaluate groundwater Springs and Faito Plateau. Dolomite is the dominant residence time within the karst aquifers [17]. The lithofacies, characterized by white and gray changes in Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentration values crystalline dolomite, with some breccia levels. Over mainly depend on the residence time of groundwater this geological formation, limestones and dolomites, in karst systems, which are controlled by the volume of Upper Cretaceous age (Sinemurian) are present, and mechanism of recharge, the distance from the and their immersion is concordant with the Triassic recharge area and the dissolution of carbonate dolomite [30]. minerals [21]-[22]. The dissolution kinetics of Karst springs are numerous along the first part of Magnesium is longer than that of Calcium, so the the Aniene River and form in the Triassic dolomitic increase of the Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio implies the formations (Fig. 1). This karst system is saturation of water with calcite, highlighting long characterized by one main outlet, Pertuso Spring, residence time and enhanced weathering along the and several springs such as Radica, Valle del Forno groundwater flow paths [22]-[23]. The Mg2+ content and Fonte Santa, which inflow into the Aniene in groundwater also depends on others parameters River, at different points (Table 1). such as chemical and mineralogical purity of Due to their lower solubility and their lower limestone and presence of dolomite within the rock brittleness, in comparison with limestones, masses they flow across [24]. Nevertheless, the dolomites are less fracturated than these latter ones. increase in Mg2+ concentration values, and hence As a consequence of it in the Aniene River Basin, Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio not only depend on the almost all groundwater come out where there is a dissolution/precipitation reaction of calcite and limestone-dolomite contact [29] (Fig. 1) and this dolomite, but also an increase in water temperature latter one is below the former one. accelerates the kinetics of the dissolution of dolomite [25]-[26]. However, it has been noticed Spring Annual average rate (l/s) that even in karst aquifers mainly made of Radica 250 limestone, the presence of slight impurities of Mg2+ Valle del Forno 164 in calcite can be responsible of significant changes Fonte Santa 65 in Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio due to a high residence time of Pertuso 1400 flowing waters [27]-[28]. Thus, environmental Table 1, Main karst springs in the Upper Valley of tracers and hydrochemical investigation techniques Aniene River provide much information for the identification of groundwater flow systems and the main Pertuso Spring, the largest karst spring in South- hydrogeochemical processes affecting the East part of Latium Region, is located between composition of water within the karst aquifers [28]. Filettino and Trevi nel Lazio (FR) and belongs to The analysis of the hydrogeochemical processes due the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) of Aniene to groundwater-surface water interactions let us to River Springs (EC Site Code IT6050029) highlight the source of their mineralization and the established under Directive 92/43/EEC (Fig.2). influence of rock masses forming the aquifer. ISBN: 978-1-61804-356-6 55 Recent Advances on Energy and Environment Fig. 1, Simplified geological map of Pertuso Spring hydrogeological basin Pertuso Spring (elevation of 720 m a.s.l.) is the main outlet of this karst aquifer and comes out about 1 km from the confluence of Fiumata Valley and Granara Valley [31]. Fig. 3, Geological cross section showing the aquifer in the Cretaceous limestone and the location of the Pertuso Spring Fig. 2, Map of Special Areas of Conservation The Pertuso Spring hydrogeological basin is (SACs) in the Upper Valley of Aniene River located between latitude 41° 51’ to 41° 56’N and longitude 13° 13’
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