Case study:Pagana canal restoration project
Project overview
Status | Complete |
---|---|
Project web site | |
Themes | Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Land use management - agriculture, Spatial planning, Water quality |
Country | Italy |
Main contact forename | Paolo |
Main contact surname | Cornelio |
Main contact user ID | |
Contact organisation | Consorzio di Bonifica Acque Risorgive |
Contact organisation web site | http://http://www.acquerisorgive.it/ |
Partner organisations | |
Parent multi-site project | |
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
No |
Project summary
The Consorzio di Bonifica Acque Risorgive (drainage authority) is located within the pumped drainage landscape of the Venice Lagoon. The Consorzio was involved in some restoration projects aimed at developing a catchment strategy to reduce nutrient loads entering the Venice Lagoon from its rivers. The bed of Pagana Canal (3.5 km) was covered with cement, and thus its contribution to the biodiversity of agricultural-forest habitats and to the reduction of N and P loads to Venice Lagoon was almost non-existent. The restoration project carried out these actions:
- Total removal of concrete covers: concrete (240 cm wide on the bottom and 320 cm wide at the top, with 150 cm high sidebanks) was completely removed in a 1.5 km long reach.
- Partial removal of concrete covers: near buildings concrete was left in place or only partially removed, creating a flooding area and banks with reduced slope.
- Widening and diversification of the reaches: the new section of the Pagana Canal is variable in size, with long reaches 12 m large and larger size in the central section (15-70 m). The presence of wide banks with reduced slope allowed reducing erosion and increasing the number of vegetation species in the riparian area and, more in general, a larger water-vegetation contact zone. Morphological changes in the riverbed enhanced biological complexity thus increasing the buffering actions on nutrients, which enter the food-web of the wet biotopes.
- Creation of ponds and wetlands: ponds and wetlands of different depths were constructed at the joining with the main tributaries. The presence of wetlands along the watercourse allowed to further enhancing biodiversity with increases in water quality and the landscape and natural value of the area.
Monitoring surveys and results
Lessons learnt
Image gallery
Catchment and subcatchmentSelect a catchment/subcatchment
Catchment
Subcatchment
Other case studies in this subcatchment: Rio San Martino and Piovega di Scandolara restoration project, Rio Sant'Ambrogio restoration project, Salzano wetland and Marzenego river restoration project, Scolo Desolino restoration project, Zero river restoration project
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
|