SALT - Sustainable management of the Esino river basin to prevent saline intrusion in the coastal aquifer in consideration of climate change

The environmental conditions of the Esino river catchment, located in central Italy, are poor as a result of intensive agricultural and industrial activities and uncontrolled pollution loads from untreated discharge and combined sewer overflows. Also the wells used for public water supply and for agricultural and industrial activities face high risk of contamination, also due to seawater intrusion in the lower Esino river aquifer. Within this context, the project aims to analyze the trends of saltwater intrusion into the Esino River and related aquifer and their effects. It will also simulate future scenarios of salt intrusion in the project area (through use of remote sensing, GIS, and river and aquifer models) to assess its likely impact considering the potential effects of climate change. This will result in a series of remediation actions to prevent salt intrusion increase and in the development of a tool to evaluate the impact of different management options on the quality and quantity of the aquifer.