In the AMARONE project, funded by the Cohesion and Development Fund (FSC 2014-2023), a regional-scale numerical model was developed to comprehensively assess the hydrogeological water balance in the High and Middle Venetian plains. The partnership between the Department of Geosciences of the University of Padova and the Eastern Alps River Basin District Authority aimed to develop a valuable tool for water management to support public authorities, in accordance with the European Community’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) that promotes sustainable water use and its long-term protection.
The implemented numerical model extends from the Mincio River to the Tagliamento River, covering an area of about 6100 km2 crossed by a dense network of alpine rivers, spring rivers and artificial channels. This area is characterized by the transition from the unconfined aquifer system on gravelly materials of the high plain to the multiaquifer system of the low plain, primarily composed of gravelly-sandy confined aquifers separated by silty-clayey aquitards. The transition between these hydrogeological provinces is marked by a plain spring belt and the groundwater exploitation in the region is a crucial factor for both social and economic reasons, as evidenced by the abundant extraction through pumping wells estimated at 2351.4 M m3/year, primarily used for drinking, domestic, irrigation and industrial purposes.
This complex situation was simulated using a three-dimensional finite-difference numerical model based on the MODFLOW-NWT code, implementing and calibrating a steady-state simulation to represent the average behavior of the system in the period 2010-2022, based on the results of the previously developed monodimensional water balance. This approach allowed the integration of hydrogeological data into the balance, such as hydraulic heads and hydraulic conductivity, resulting in a numerical model useful for performing balances on the water bodies of the Veneto region.