While drawing up the Water Protection Plan, the Water Resources Department of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region
jointly with the Mathematics and Geosciences Department of the Trieste University has carried out a three-year study
aimed at assessing the sustainability of the groundwater use in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. In this territory is still
very common to get water from artesian wells for domestic purposes and to leave them flowing free. These so called
“fountains”, widespread located in the Low Plain, can be considered an integral part of the popular culture, a sort of
cultural heritage to be preserved. Their density varies considerably according to the geographic settlements distribution
and to the boundary conditions. The withdrawals interest the artesian aquifer systems and being free flowing,
withdrawals are real and much more than the needs. The unsustainability lies in the fact that, high quality waters,
withdrawn from medium to high depths, end up in the sea through irrigation and drainage canals or go to feed the
shallow phreatic aquifer system of the Low Plain without producing any recharge for the groundwaters. The study
highlighted that more than 50% of the total used groundwaters come from the domestic wells that get the waters from
the deep aquifer systems. These withdrawals are approximately 70 times more than the estimated demand (250l/day per
person, for a European citizen). In the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, even if do not exist a problem of water quantity,
going on with the same way of living, there will be, for sure, a quality problem. In the system in fact, through the
effective infiltration, worse quality waters go into the water cycle. Furthermore, this great discharge that reaches the
drainage system causes malfunctions in sewage plants and an increase of the pumping costs. Then comes the need to
raise awareness on this specific subject. Thanks to the national InFEA Project, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, jointly
with researchers of the Trieste University, started a dissemination program in the hydrogeology field. The foreseen
activities, within the time, will involve all the Low Plain municipalities. The methodological approach involve all the
primary schools (class 4 and 5), teachers, local administrators and citizens. To the scholars, after a starting front lecture
(two hours for each class), a field daily activity is offered. At the end of the cycle, all the students are involved in an
active cooperation allowing to realize posters, models, poems and short stories that are later presented during an
evening dedicated to a discussion among researchers, politicians/administrators and citizens. The involvement of the
young students (9-11 years old) with the constant and active participation also of the teachers, authorities, parents and
citizens, can be considered an educational experience for everybody. At the same time, this creates a conscious
awareness of the critical issues of our fragile territory.
