Groundwater

Beneath the Upper Vicenza plain lies one of the area’s most important resources: groundwater. It is an invisible, slow-moving and precious reserve. It feeds wells, springs, watercourses and ecosystems, supporting domestic, agricultural and industrial uses. But it is not inexhaustible.

The Vicenza plain can be described as a water factory: a natural system of groundwater recharge, storage and springs that supports water supply, watercourses and ecosystems. Protecting it means taking action across the entire territory: homes, cities, farmland, businesses, infrastructure networks and natural areas.

How does the groundwater work

The hydrogeological system of the Vicenza area can be simplified into three zones. In the gravelly upper plain, the groundwater recharge zone, water can infiltrate rapidly: rainfall, rivers and irrigation channels feed the underground reservoir.

In the spring belt, groundwater resurfaces and feeds watercourses, wetlands and ecosystems. Springs are therefore a visible indicator of the condition of the underground water system.

Further downstream, deep and confined aquifers can be found. These are strategic water reserves, but they take a long time to recharge and must be protected in terms of both water quantity and quality.

What indicators tell us

The comparison between water availability and groundwater levels over the period 1956–2023 highlights an important trend: water availability varies significantly from year to year, while groundwater levels show an overall long-term decline.

This means that a rainy year can help, but it is not enough to address a structural imbalance. Action is needed on the overall water balance: how much water we withdraw, how much we consume, how much we reuse, how much is able to infiltrate into the ground, and the quality of the water that reaches the subsurface.

The main causes of pressure

If water withdrawals for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses exceed the natural recharge capacity, the system becomes depleted. Reducing water consumption therefore concerns all sectors.

Soil sealing reduces the land’s ability to recharge groundwater. Roads, paved areas, car parks and roofs rapidly channel water into drainage systems instead of allowing it to infiltrate into the ground.

Short, intense rainfall events do not always recharge groundwater effectively: when rain falls on impermeable surfaces or compacted soils, it quickly runs off. Water quality is equally important: contaminated groundwater may become unusable, even if sufficient quantities of water are physically present.

Reduce, Reuse, Recharge

The strategy can be summarised in three verbs: reduce, reuse, recharge.

Reduce means using water more efficiently: water-saving household devices, precision irrigation, optimised industrial processes, water footprint assessment and leakage reduction.

Reuse means giving new life to water that can be used for compatible purposes: rainwater for non-potable uses, treated greywater, treated wastewater for authorised uses, and water recovery in industrial processes.

Recharge means facilitating the safe, controlled and measurable return of water to the ground. This can be achieved through permeable surfaces, rain gardens, infiltration trenches, infiltration basins, forested infiltration areas, widespread agricultural measures and managed aquifer recharge.

Blue credits and measurable interventions

LIFE Svolta Blu aims to develop and test a voluntary Blue Credits system as a tool to mobilise resources and finance interventions that generate verifiable water benefits.

The idea is to link concrete actions to measurable results: reduced water withdrawals, increased water reuse, greater infiltration and an improved local water balance. To be credible, each benefit must be quantifiable, verifiable and linked to a concrete action.

Why water quality matters as much as quantity

Protecting groundwater also means safeguarding water quality. In the Veneto and Vicenza areas, various historical and more recent challenges – including contamination by chromium, chlorinated solvents and PFAS – demonstrate the importance of preventing pollutants from entering the subsurface.

Groundwater recharge cannot be separated from water quality control: not all water is suitable for infiltration, and not all soils are appropriate for it. Effective monitoring, authorisations, maintenance and shared responsibility are therefore essential.

Best practices:

• Italy - LIFE AQUOR, Upper Vicenza Plain: an initiative focused on water conservation, managed aquifer recharge and a participatory strategy to restore the quantitative balance of groundwater resources. 
• Italy - Bosco Limite: A case of managed aquifer recharge through a forested infiltration area, recognised as a climate adaptation measure that also enhances ecosystem functions.
• Europe - Managed Aquifer Recharge: managed aquifer recharge is increasingly recognised as a climate adaptation measure to address drought and climate variability, particularly when combined with soil and vegetation management, monitoring and water quality control. 
• World - Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System: one of the world's leading system for advances water reuse and managed aquifer recharge for indirect potable use. 
• World - Inventario globale IGRAC MAR: collects around 1.200 across more than 50 countries, demostrating the widespread international adoption of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) strategies.