This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642224
The case study of Follonica aquifer is located in a coastal plane in the south of Tuscany (Italy). It is a multilayer aquifer composed by 5 main bodies. For each aquifer horizon geochemical status and granulometric composition has been investigated.
The high concentration of heavy metals and arsenic (up to 14.5 mg/L in front of law limit of 0.01 mg/L) is the main problem of the area, considering exploitation of water aquifer for both civil and industrial purposes.
Agricultural consumption and saline intrusion are also issues to be considered. The lower part of the Follonica basin is also a 'Ramsar' protected area.
The aim of Freewat project on this case study is to develop and calibrate a numerical model in order to forecast the evolution of aquifers systems in response to different stresses such as variation in pumping rates, new input of contaminants, identification of the main path of contaminations and of the most vulnerable zones.
Modelling this water body is important to scientists and policy-makers, in order to properly manage hydrological resources and to find solutions for local deterioration of water quality.
A wide focus group made by local policy makers and economical stakeholders is taking part to the project and some of them were trained to use Freewat plugin.