Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna’s Istituto di Produzioni Vegetali is organising a workshop on the controlled recharge of groundwater in Italy, taking place at Geofluid 2026 in Piacenza on 9 October 2026 (10.30–13.00) within the EU PRIMA INVESTWATER project.
Ten years after Ministerial Decree D.M. 100/2016 set out the criteria for authorising managed aquifer recharge (MAR) of groundwater bodies, the workshop takes stock of how the technique has been applied and asks what is needed for it to spread more widely across the country. MAR increases the natural recharge of aquifers through designed interventions backed by dedicated management and monitoring, and can help rebalance groundwater levels, counter salinization, and support adaptation to climate change.
Despite growing interest in MAR as a response to water scarcity, aquifer overexploitation, and salinization, uptake under the decree has so far been very limited: to date only two schemes have been authorised under D.M. 100/2016, while other interventions remain experimental. Bringing together researchers, public authorities, operators, and practitioners, the workshop will examine the hydrogeological, design, management, environmental, and administrative dimensions of MAR — with particular attention to the hurdles in authorisation procedures, characterisation and monitoring requirements, groundwater quality protection, and the responsibilities of the actors involved. The aim is to formulate concrete recommendations for moving MAR beyond its largely experimental phase and into the standard toolkit of Italian water planning and management.
Provisional programme
- 10.30–10.45 — 2016–2026: ten years of MAR experimentation and application in Italy. R. Rossetto, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
- 10.45–11.05 — Climate change impacts on groundwater and the potential contribution of MAR. A. Casasso, Politecnico di Torino
- 11.05–11.25 — From local commitment to aquifer recharge: the Sanpellegrino MAR project in the Brenta River basin. M. Meggiorin (Ramboll Italia), A. Negri (Sanpellegrino)
- 11.25–11.45 — When fields recharge aquifers: agricultural MAR as a response to new climate challenges. L. Alberti, P. Colombo & C. Medina Montecinos, Politecnico di Milano
- 11.45–12.05 — Forest Infiltration Areas (AFI): a MAR technique to mitigate nitrate contamination in the Arborea Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, Sardinia. A. Carletti, Università degli Studi di Cagliari
- 12.05–13.00 — Panel discussion — From experimentation to application: overcoming barriers and opening new perspectives for controlled aquifer recharge. Moderated by Stefania Da Pelo, Vice-President of the Italian chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH)
The workshop is organised within the EU PRIMA INVESTWATER project by project partner Rudy Rossetto.