Assessment of the groundwater recharge processes of a shallow and deep aquifer system (Maggiore Valley, Northwest Italy): a hydrogeochemical and isotopic approach

• Published in: Hydrogeology journal Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 395 - 416
• Main Authors: Cocca, Daniele, Lasagna, Manuela, Marchina, Chiara, Brombin, Valentina, Santillán Quiroga, Luis Miguel, De Luca, Domenico Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.03.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Aquifer systems; Aquifers; Bicarbonates; Calcium; Chemical analysis; Drainage; Drainage area; Drinking water; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Geology; Geophysics/Geodesy; Groundwater; Groundwater management; Groundwater recharge; Groundwater resources; Hydrochemicals; Hydrogeochemistry; Hydrogeology; Hydrology/Water Resources; Hydroxyapatite; Ions; Recharge areas; Resource management; Valleys; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Water quality; Water Quality/Water Pollution; Water resources; Well water; Italy; Italy; Groundwater recharge; Hydrochemistry; Stable isotopes; Deep confined aquifer
• ISSN: 1431-2174; 1435-0157
• DOI: 10.1007/s10040-023-02727-1

The Maggiore Valley well field plays a fundamental role in supplying drinking water to a large territory of the Piedmont Region (northwestern Italy) and has been intensively exploited since the early twentieth century. This water resource is hosted in a deep, multilayered aquifer system. The main purpose of this study was to characterize the recharge processes of the deep aquifer through hydrochemical and isotopic assessments, as well as the water quality in the recharge and drainage areas. For this purpose, 128 physical–chemical analyses (major ions) and 50 isotopic analyses (δ 18 O and δ 2 H) were carried out on samples collected in shallow and deep aquifer complexes in two sampling campaigns in 2021. From the results, a hydrogeological conceptual model of recharge processes was developed. The chemical data confirm the presence of bicarbonate–calcium facies in most samples of the shallow and deep aquifer complexes. Clear hydrochemical differences were observed among the investigated sectors. The recharge areas were identified as (1) far zones, namely the shallow aquifer complex of the Cuneo Plain, and (2) the shallow and deep aquifer complexes with groundwater mixing in the riverside sector of Po Plain in the Turin area. The mixing of waters from the Cuneo Plain and Turin Plain was verified in the well field area. The isotopic values of the artesian well water also confirmed contributions from the Turin and Cuneo Alps. This study clarified the recharge processes, thereby defining potential pollutant pathways, and the results provide additional support for groundwater resource management and protection.