Training course "Interventions of integrated hydraulic-environmental restoration of the canals"
The new training course, held by expert technicians and nationally renowned lecturers, was divided into two days, dedicated respectively to an in-depth study of the themes and to the visit of the canals restored by the project.
The event was mainly addressed to professional technicians, Public Bodies and Reclamation Consortia, who are already involved in the management of the plain reclamation grid or who want to deepen their problems in their work and the newer design approaches, but it is also open to interested students, researchers and citizens.
The problems faced
The Emilia plain is crossed by a dense network of canals built over the centuries by man for the hydraulic reclamation: in the artificial network the waters flow not only by gravity, but also thanks to water pumps that allow the drainage of the lands placed below of hanging riverbeds. Possible malfunctions of such a highly artificial system can cause catastrophic damage and therefore it becomes fundamental to increase the levels of hydraulic safety. At the same time, the ecological redevelopment of drainage canals is an important opportunity for reconnecting the ecological network and improving the environment status.
Therefore, a reflection is taking place by the authorities on how to transform this artificial system, to assess whether water management based more on ecological criteria can give better results also in terms of hydraulic risk reduction, due to the fact that to date the problem of floods is far from being solved and indeed in many cases it has increased and the frequency and intensity of floods in Europe and in Italy have increased.
Classroom course - Tuesday 8 October 2019
On Tuesday 8 October the course was hosted at the headquarters of the Central Emilia Reclamation Consortium, in Corso Garibaldi n. 42 in Reggio Emilia (RE).
Classroom lessons were divided into two thematic sessions:
- a first morning session (from 9:30 to 13:00) dedicated to the problems faced, to the effects of climate change on the artificial network and to the integrated planning of interventions;
- an afternoon session dedicated to applied river ecology and monitoring of interventions for both environmental and hydrological - hydraulic aspects.
A total of 75 participants attended the classroom lectures, divided between technicians from Consortia, Regional Administration, ARPAE, Public Bodies, Universities and Research Institutes and freelancers.
In-field Trip - Wednesday 9 October
Wednesday, October 9th, the "on the field" trip was held under the guidance of the designers, through a visit to the interventions carried out along the Collettore Alfiere canals (Municipality of Gualtieri), Modenese Water Collector (Municipality of Novi of Modena) and Cavata Orientale (Municipality of Carpi).
The visit allowed a direct comparison between the participants regarding:
- the strategy implemented by the Central Emilia reclamation Consortium to define the hydraulic-environmental requalification interventions of the channels included in the LIFE RINASCE project;
- the operational problems encountered in the implementation phase of the interventions;
- the evolution of the channels over the years and the degree of achievement of the ecological and hydraulic objectives of the interventions.
A total of 35 participants took part in this day.