Case study:Lower Aurino river: Gatzaue riverbed widening
Project overview
Status | Complete |
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Project web site | |
Themes | Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Social benefits, Spatial planning |
Country | Italy |
Main contact forename | Caterina |
Main contact surname | Ghiraldo |
Main contact user ID | |
Contact organisation | Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano |
Contact organisation web site | |
Partner organisations | |
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
Project summary
The Aurino river is a typical Alpine watercourse (basin Area 630 km2, average discharge in summer 30-50 m3/s) affected in the past by gravel extraction, construction of bank defences along part of its course and a major reduction of sediment load from upstream, due to weirs and other protection measures in most tributaries. This determined channel incision, reduction of riverbed width, alteration of morphological structures and dynamics and as a consequence reduced connection with the floodplain, lowering of the groundwater level and loss of riparian habitats (especially hygrophilic riparian forests of Alnus incana). A major effect was also a reduced flood retention capacity, and its recovery by reverting the incision process was one of the main drivers, together with biodiversity increase, to implement a catchment scale restoration scheme. This has been carried out, step by step, for more than a decade and further measures are foreseen.
The three interventions in Gatzaue in 2005, 2009 and 2011 included removing a total of 50000 m3 of gravel from the formerly disconnected floodplain, widening the riverbed by approximately 35 m and, in order to stop incision, the construction of a ramp in 2005 and, in 2009 and 2011, the reintroduction in the same stretch of part of the gravel excavated from the river banks. A monitoring activity was implemented to study the geomorphological and biological effects of the project.
Works include: Creation of new lateral habitat for fishes,amphibians and birds (alcedo atthis).
Monitoring surveys and results
Lessons learnt
Image gallery
Catchment and subcatchment
Site
Project background
Cost for project phases
Reasons for river restoration
Measures
MonitoringHydromorphological quality elements
Biological quality elements
Physico-chemical quality elements
Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic
Monitoring documents
Additional documents and videos
Additional links and references
Supplementary InformationEdit Supplementary Information
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