The Blue Gold of Our Country

In Italy, we drink groundwater: more than 84% of the country’s civil water demand is supplied by spring water or water extracted from underground aquifers through wells.
A true “Blue Gold” resource that is renewed every year and must be understood, protected, and enhanced.

These needs are addressed by the new Hydrogeological Map of Italy at a scale of 1:500,000 (CII500K), which, after being presented to the scientific community, will be officially presented to the public on June 9 during an event at the Auditorium of the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security.

The event will provide an opportunity to illustrate how the map was developed and to showcase the wealth of information it contains. The project was coordinated by ISPRA and the “Ardito Desio” Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Milan, in collaboration with ISTAT, CMCC (Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change), and the seven District Basin Authorities, as well as with the participation of the wider groundwater expert community: Regions and Autonomous Provinces, ARPA/APPA environmental agencies, universities, research institutions, and professional associations. This initiative represents the first example of “participatory cartography” in Italy.