Brenta Consortium for Land Reclamation
The Brenta Consortium for land reclamation is one of ten that operate in Veneto. It straddles the Brenta river from Pedemontana to Bacchiglione, and its surface area of 70,933 hectares covers 54 Municipal Districts from 3 provinces; Padua, Treviso and Vicenza.
Its main tasks are:
As far as the Brenta Consortium for Land Reclamation is concerned, for most of the year period water is moved through a tight network of canals, which are already present as part of the natural riverbed system and are able to develop properties of auto or phyto-purification. An indicator of this ability is the sighting of fish species that usually only live where the water quality is good.
The Consortium has focused its attention on the water consumption for irrigation, which has been reduced, thanks to the change from surface to spray irrigation. Irrigation, furthermore, is a positive influence as far as the stocks of groundwater are concerned, since it acts as recharge for the aquifer; the use of available surface water is a better alternative to the use of water that has to be drawn from underground reserves.
The prevention of hydrogeological instability is also one of the Consortiums daily activities. On one hand energy is being consumed by facilities for pumping water, while on the other it is possible to produce hydroelectric power through the use of waterfalls. The Consortium is particularly active in this area and has already six of these plants, thanks to which energy production – from clean and renewable sources – far outstrips the amount consumed; furthermore, the Consortium has plans to implement around ten more hydroelectric facilities and it is currently awaiting for the necessary regional authorisation to proceed.
One of the most important environmental features of the Brenta Consortium’s territory are the resurgences; for many years the Consortium has been deeply involved in countering their general decline, both through recharging activities of the aquifer and through careful recovery and restoration projects.
Furthermore, the Brenta Consortium organises education days for students to raise awareness about the protection and importance of water resources and their correct management.
The innovative Environmental Report was introduced to the land reclamation consortium as part of legislative reform put into place a few years ago by the Veneto Region. The “Brenta” is the first land reclamation consortium able to fulfil this obligation after a complex implementation program that lasted several years. Thanks also to the preparation of the Environmental Report the Brenta Consortium has recently been awarded with the Environmental Certification.
Its main tasks are:
- to regulate water, the flow of which continuously changes according to the weather, by using the infrastructure under their management (2,400 kilometres of canals and 15,000 facilities and structures) guaranteeing the use of land for agricultural or urban purposes (drainage management);
- to supply water to the countryside through irrigation;
- to contribute to the protection of the territory and the environment in general.
As far as the Brenta Consortium for Land Reclamation is concerned, for most of the year period water is moved through a tight network of canals, which are already present as part of the natural riverbed system and are able to develop properties of auto or phyto-purification. An indicator of this ability is the sighting of fish species that usually only live where the water quality is good.
The Consortium has focused its attention on the water consumption for irrigation, which has been reduced, thanks to the change from surface to spray irrigation. Irrigation, furthermore, is a positive influence as far as the stocks of groundwater are concerned, since it acts as recharge for the aquifer; the use of available surface water is a better alternative to the use of water that has to be drawn from underground reserves.
The prevention of hydrogeological instability is also one of the Consortiums daily activities. On one hand energy is being consumed by facilities for pumping water, while on the other it is possible to produce hydroelectric power through the use of waterfalls. The Consortium is particularly active in this area and has already six of these plants, thanks to which energy production – from clean and renewable sources – far outstrips the amount consumed; furthermore, the Consortium has plans to implement around ten more hydroelectric facilities and it is currently awaiting for the necessary regional authorisation to proceed.
One of the most important environmental features of the Brenta Consortium’s territory are the resurgences; for many years the Consortium has been deeply involved in countering their general decline, both through recharging activities of the aquifer and through careful recovery and restoration projects.
Furthermore, the Brenta Consortium organises education days for students to raise awareness about the protection and importance of water resources and their correct management.
The innovative Environmental Report was introduced to the land reclamation consortium as part of legislative reform put into place a few years ago by the Veneto Region. The “Brenta” is the first land reclamation consortium able to fulfil this obligation after a complex implementation program that lasted several years. Thanks also to the preparation of the Environmental Report the Brenta Consortium has recently been awarded with the Environmental Certification.
