Italy Val di Cornia

NEL Main Aim

At this lab, we will investigate aspects of the NEXUS related to the potential of the agricultural world to be not only a resource consumer, but also a service provider. Integration between industry, i.e. water utility one, and agriculture will be also investigated

River Basin Description:

In the Mediterranean area, limited or no-availability of surface water resources during late spring/summer period makes groundwater an essential resource for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes, while supporting at the same time wetlands, as in the case of the lower River Cornia coastal plain . Large aquifer exploitation resulted in season-to year lasting head lowering and water balance deficit, causing subsidence, reduction of groundwater dependent ecosystems, and aquifer salinization. Besides the environmental drawbacks the massive use of water is having detrimental effects on agricultural production and creating competition with the industry steel factory system in a loop where energy demand and climate change exacerbate the challenges. In the upstream part of the basin on the other hand, there is huge potential for geothermal energy production, but a number of conflicts with the local populations are present. Direct involvement of farmers is foreseen in order to achieve transition towards shared use of resources.