Case study:Lower Aurino river: Gatzaue riverbed widening

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Location: 46° 50' 55.24" N, 11° 57' 20.93" E

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Project overview

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Status	Complete
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

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Project summary

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The Aurino river is a typical Alpine watercourse (basin Area 630 km2, average discharge in summer 30-50 m3/s) subject in the past to a radical channalization (riparap) which reduced significantly the width of the riverbed and the morphological structures and dynamics and which caused a general riverbed lowering and the lost of the connection with the floodplain. In the same time the groundwater lowering caused a loss of the hygrophilous riparian forests (Alnus incana). The riverbed widening of Aurino river in Gatzaue was planned mainly to increase the biodiversity and to invert the riverbed and grounwater lowering process. The work was executed by removing a total of 25.000 m3 of gravel from the disconnected floodplain obtaining a total riverbed windening of 35 m; in the same time the riverbed was reshaped (also by inserting big stones and woody debris and creating new branches) to give it a more natural structure. A monitoring activity was implemented to study the geomorphological and biological effects of the project.

Monitoring surveys and results

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Lessons learnt

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Catchment and subcatchment

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Site

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Name	Gatzaue
WFD water body codes	03SS3N
WFD (national) typology
WFD water body name	D_c Torrente Aurino
Pre-project morphology	Single channel
Reference morphology	Braided
Desired post project morphology
Heavily modified water body	No
National/international site designation
Local/regional site designations
Protected species present	No
Invasive species present	No
Species of interest
Dominant hydrology	Artificially regulated
Dominant substrate	Bedrock
River corridor land use	Grassland
Average bankfull channel width category	10 - 50 m
Average bankfull channel width (m)
Average bankfull channel depth category	0.5 - 2 m
Average bankfull channel depth (m)
Mean discharge category	10 - 100 m³/s
Mean annual discharge (m3/s)
Average channel gradient category
Average channel gradient
Average unit stream power (W/m2)

Project background

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Reach length directly affected (m)
Project started	2003
Works started
Works completed	2011/01/04
Project completed
Total cost category
Total cost (k€)
Benefit to cost ratio
Funding sources

Cost for project phases

Phase	cost category	cost exact (k€)	Lead organisation	Contact forename	Contact surname
Investigation and design
Stakeholder engagement and communication
Works and works supervision
Post-project management and maintenance
Monitoring

Reasons for river restoration

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Mitigation of a pressure	Biodiversity increase, flood risk control, morphology restoration
Hydromorphology	Width & depth variation, Connection to groundwaters and floodplain
Biology	Fish, Invertebrates
Physico-chemical
Other reasons for the project	Increase social activities

Measures

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Structural measures
Bank/bed modifications	Riverbed widening, creation of new branches
Floodplain / River corridor	Floodplain reconnection
Planform / Channel pattern	creation of new natural channels
Other	Creation of new lateral habitat for fishes, amphibians and birds (alcedo atthis)
Non-structural measures
Management interventions
Social measures (incl. engagement)	Citizen participation in the restoration project
Other

Monitoring

Hydromorphological quality elements

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quality elements

Element	When monitored		Type of monitoring		Control site used	Result
	Before measures	After measures	Qualitative	Quantitative
Channel pattern/planform	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Improvement
Connection to groundwaters	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Improvement
Structure & condition of riparian/lake shore zones	No	Yes	No	No	No	Improvement

Biological quality elements

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quality elements

Element	When monitored		Type of monitoring		Control site used	Result
	Before measures	After measures	Qualitative	Quantitative
Invertebrates	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Awaiting results

Physico-chemical quality elements

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quality elements

Element	When monitored		Type of monitoring		Control site used	Result
	Before measures	After measures	Qualitative	Quantitative

Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic

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Element	When monitored		Type of monitoring		Control site used	Result
	Before measures	After measures	Qualitative	Quantitative
Riparian vegetation	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No change

Monitoring documents

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Monitoraggio campana.pdf

Image gallery

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Aerial view before works

Aerial view after works

The riverbed after the works

Additional documents and videos

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Additional links and references

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Link	Description

Supplementary Information

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