Delineation of Wellhead Protection Areas in the Umbria Region. 1. A simplified Procedure

Abstract

In the Umbria region a large number of small groundwater resources is exploited to supply drinkable water to customers. More than 400 of the wells and springs managed by Umbra Acque S.p.A., one of the three Umbrian managers, draw less than 10 l/s and about 240 of them supply less than 1 l/s. The national and the regional regulations do not differentiate in the protection area delineation guidelines between large and small resources, although different degree of knowledge about the aquifer and economical budget for the operation can be expected. For these reasons, here we propose a procedure for delineating the wellhead protection areas, based on simplified models and techniques, particularly suited for the Umbria region.