Italy

The Gran Sasso mountains

The Gran Sasso mountains are located in central Italy about 100 km northeast of the capital Rome. Its catchment area covers an area of approx. 700 m² and consists of moderately to strongly karstified Cretaceous limestone. The most important spring in the catchment area is the Terino spring, which supplies the cities of L'Aquila and Pescara with drinking water and is also used to generate hydropower. The total discharge of the major regional springs is about 25 m³/s

The landscape is characterised by grassland, forests and small villages and faces several anthropogenic challenges related to groundwater management. Thus, research focuses on the impact of tunnelling and industrial activities on groundwater and related pollution. In addition, natural phenomena such as earthquakes and climate change also have an impact on groundwater. As the region is a national park, environmental protection is particularly important.

(source: Google Earth 2019)