Surface water and groundwater monitoring and numerical modeling of the southern sector of the Massaciuccoli Lake basin (Italy)

The Lake of Massaciuccoli (7 km2 wide and 1.5/2 m deep) and its palustrine nearby areas (about 13 km2 wide) constitute a residual coastal lacustrine and marshy area. Large part of the basin has been reclaimed since 1930 by means of pumping stations forcing water from the drained areas into the lake. In the study domain two mechanically drained sub-catchments are present: the Vecchiano and the Massaciuccoli Bonifica (Fig. 1). An update review of the literature was performed and several stratigraphical data analysed to provide a hydrostratigraphical simplified conceptual model. The main hydrostratigraphic unit is defined by sand deposits which constitute a 30 to 40 m thick superficial aquifer on the west side, and pinching out on the eastern margin while passing to sandy to clayey silt unit. These two units are overlain by recent deposits (few meters thick) showing a North-South trend moving from the alluvial fan deposits (silty to clayey sands) of the Serchio River to peaty clay and then peat. In terms of hydrological boundaries, the investigated domain is bordered by carbonate to arenaceous reliefs on the east and by a potentiometric high in the sandy coastal shallow aquifer on the west. South and North of the domain, the Serchio River and the Lake Massaciuccoli water body respectively are hydraulically connected with the superficial aquifer. Hydrogeochemical analysis confirmed the hypothesis on the conceptual model (PISTOCCHI et alii, 2010).