(The Basis of Civilization – Water Science? – Proceedings of the UNESCO/IAHS/IWHA Symposium held in Rome, December 2003 – IAHS Publication 286, pp. 67–76).
Lake Fucino was the third largest Italian lake. In the 1st century AD an underground canal was built to prevent it from causing devastating floods. After the initial success, the efficiency of the canal rapidly deteriorated and the ancient lake surface was restored. In the mid 1800s, the construction of a new underground canal led to the complete disappearance of the lake and to the reclamation of its basin. Thus, an ancient conflict between local communities and a water surplus appeared to be finally solved. However, the initial farm crops, mostly wheat, maize and sugar beet, were progressively replaced with much more profitable horticultural crops, especially over the past 15 years. This change was accompanied by rising demand for water. Consequently, groundwater withdrawal has increased, and flows in streams and from springs have decreased, causing many environmental problems. These problems have to be solved by the application of water science, in terms of scientific knowledge, technical tools and regulatory efforts.
Agriculture, Central Italy, Groundwater management, Hydrogeology, Irrigation reclamation
