Reply to Comment on “Impact of groundwater withdrawals on the interaction of multi-layered aquifers in the Viterbo geothermal area (central Italy)”: report published in Hydrogeology Journal (2013) 21:1339–1353, by Antonella Baiocchi,Francesca Lotti and Vincenzo Piscopo

Hydrogeology Journal -     

Horizontal accuracy assessment of very high resolution Google Earth images in the city of Rome,Italy

Google Earth (GE) has recently become the focus of increasing interest and popularity among available online virtual globes used in scientific research projects, due to the free and easily accessed satellite imagery provided with global coverage. Nevertheless, the uses of this service raises several research questions on the quality and uncertainty of spatial data (e.g. positional accuracy, precision, consistency), with implications for potential uses like data collection and validation. This paper aims to analyze the horizontal accuracy of very high resolution (VHR) GE images in the city of Rome (Italy) for the years 2007, 2011, and 2013. The evaluation was conducted by using both Global Positioning System ground truth data and cadastral photogrammetric vertex as independent check points. The validation process includes the comparison of histograms, graph plots, tests of normality, azimuthal direction errors, and the calculation of standard statistical parameters. The results show that GE VHR imageries of Rome have an overall positional accuracy close to 1 m, sufficient for deriving ground truth samples, measurements, and large-scale planimetric maps.     

Impact of groundwater withdrawals on the interaction of multi-layered aquifers in the Viterbo geothermal area (central Italy)

The impact of groundwater withdrawals on the interaction between multi-layered aquifers with different water qualities in the Viterbo geothermal area (central Italy) was studied. In this area, deep thermal waters are used to supply thermal spas and public pools. A shallow overlying aquifer carries cold and fresh water, used for irrigation and the local drinking-water supply. Starting with a conceptual hydrogeological model, two simplified numerical models were implemented: a steady-state flow model of the entire groundwater system, and a steady-state flow and heat transport model of a representative area, which included complex interactions between the aquifers. The impact of increased withdrawals associated with potential future development of the thermal aquifer must be considered in terms of the water temperature of the existing thermal sources. However, withdrawals from the shallow aquifer might also influence the discharge of thermal sources and quality of the water withdrawn from the shallow wells. The exploitation of the two aquifers is dependent on the hydraulic conductivity and thickness of the intervening aquitard, which maintains the delicate hydrogeological equilibrium. Effective methods to control this equilibrium include monitoring the vertical gradient between the two aquifers and the residual discharge of natural thermal springs.     

Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the influence of anthropic pressure on subsidence in a sedimentary basin near Rome

This paper presents the results of analyses measuring variations in anthropic pressure and the influence of anthropic pressure on the variations in subsidence rates from 1954 to 2005 in the Tivoli-Guidonia area, located to the East of Rome, Italy. In the last 60 years, this area underwent exceptional demographic growth, as well as an increase in the quarrying and hydrothermal industries. The calculation of the increase in anthropic pressure was based on two factors: the expansion of built-up areas and the increase in quarrying. Photogrammetric techniques permitted a multi-temporal analysis of aerial photos taken in 1954, 1985, 1993, 1998 and 2005. The aim of this analysis was to estimate the increase in both urban surface area and travertine quarrying. Non-conventional techniques, such as the reconstruction of photograms using photo retouching software, allowed for the use of aerial photos from 1954. These photos were fundamental for establishing a medium-term evaluation of anthropic activity in the area. The results of the photogrammetric analysis were compared to the phases of acceleration and stabilization in subsidence phenomena, deduced from a RADAR interferometry study published by the Italian Ministry of the Environment. This comparison showed a close relationship between the rise and temporary halt of anthropic development and the rise and fall of subsidence rates. Furthermore, data on the distribution of private wells in the study area, variations in the groundwater table level and the precipitation regime were analyzed, but, although helpful in defining the geological context and considerable transformations of the territory, they were considered as qualitative data due to the lack of systematic measures or an unclear relationship to the variations in subsidence rate. Despite the difficulties involved in evaluating both the amount of anthropic pressure and the role of different human activities on environmental change, it was possible to estimate the variations in anthropic pressure and their influence on potentially dangerous geological processes.     

Role of high-elevation groundwater flows in the hydrogeology of the Cimino volcano (central Italy) and possibilities to capture drinking water in a geogenically contaminated environment

Origin, yield and quality of the groundwater flows at high elevation in the Cimino volcano (central Italy) were examined. In this area, groundwater is geogenically contaminated by arsenic and fluoride, yet supplies drinking water for approximately 170,000 inhabitants. The origin of the high-elevation groundwater flows is strictly related to vertical and horizontal variability of the rock types (lava flows, lava domes and ignimbrite) in an area of limited size. In some cases, groundwater circuits are related to perched aquifers above noncontinuous aquitards; in other cases, they are due to flows in the highly fractured dome carapace, limited at the bottom by a low-permeability dome core. The high-elevation groundwater outflow represents about 30% of the total recharge of Cimino’s hydrogeological system, which has been estimated at 9.8 L/s/km². Bicarbonate alkaline-earth, cold, neutral waters with low salinity, and notably with low arsenic and fluoride content, distinguish the high-elevation groundwaters from those of the basal aquifer. Given the quantity and quality of these resources, approaches in the capture and management of groundwater in this hydrogeological environment should be reconsidered. Appropriate tapping methods such as horizontal drains, could more efficiently capture the high-elevation groundwater resources, as opposed to the waters currently pumped from the basal aquifer which often require dearsenification treatments.

     

Geo-volcanological, mineralogical and environmental aspects of quarry materials related to pleural neoplasm in the area of Biancavilla, Mount Etna (Eastern Sicily, Italy)

The town of Biancavilla, located on the lower flanks of Mt. Etna volcano, eastern Sicily (Italy), showed high mortality rates owing to malignant pleural neoplasms, a cause of death specifically related to exposure to asbestos fibres. An environmental survey indicated the stone quarry site of Il Calvario as a possible source of asbestos fibre exposure, while a mineralogical study allowed to identify the new asbestiform mineral fluoro-edenite. A joint epidemiological and environmental study was conducted to assess the characteristics of the outbreak of malignant mesothelioma and to test the assumption of a causal relation with exposure to fluoro-edenite. Due to the lack of awareness of fluoro-edenite releases, Il Calvario may not be the only source of the fibre, but is probably the main one. The evolution of the volume of material quarried from Il Calvario was studied on the basis of maps printed from 1896 to 1995, by using a digital elevation model. The natural and anthropogenic causes of the territorial spread of the newly discovered amphibole fibres are discussed relatively to a geo-volcanological, territorial and environmental evolution of the area affected.     

Comparison of pumping at constant head and at a constant rate for determining the sustainable yield of a well

Determining the yield of a production well remains one of the main problems in hydrogeological studies. Starting from the results of a 3-year-long monitoring of a continuously exploited well functioning at constant head (i.e., at a variable discharge rate), a new pumping style has been examined using numerical models. The objective is to control the impact of pumping on the aquifer in accordance with the principle of sustainability. Different models were developed in a transient state and were calibrated using discharge data of the well during the recession periods. Successively, the trends of the residual outflow from the aquifer system with the well operating at variable discharge and at constant discharge were simulated. The results indicate that the ratio of the volume of water pumped from the well to the volume of residual outflow is a significant indicator of the sustainability of groundwater withdrawals. Modeling confirms that a constant discharge rate can be derived from the information gained through a preliminary production phase of a well at constant head. This approach appears to be particularly useful when the problem is determining the sustainable yield of a single well from aquifers with low hydraulic diffusivity.