Water Quality in Northwest Italy

Hydrogeochemical facies and groundwater quality have been investigated in Piedmont Region (Northwest Italy). A distinction must be drawn between mountain and plain area. The mountain areas (Alps and Apennines) are characterized by the presence of several aquifers whose importance is purely local. In the mountain area, a generally low solubility of aquifers together with the scarcity of pollutant sources make the quality of groundwater excellent for human uses. A number of bottled water analyses have been elaborated in the study. The aquifer system of the plain has a much greater importance than the mountain one. The subsoil setting hallows to identify two aquifer systems. The shallow aquifer, represented by Holocene and Pleistocene fluvial and glacio-fluvial deposits, shows high levels of vulnerability and the deep aquifer, represented by Pio-pleistocene transitional and marine deposits. From a hydrogeochemical point of view, major ions composition provide a good differentiation between shallow and deep aquifers. A higher salinization or like or the pollution by human activities influences the quality of the groundwater of the shallow aquifer: (nitrated often exceed the requirement for drinking water of 50 mg/l). further differentiates its composition from the deeper aquifer one. Its good quality make the groundwater of the deep confined aquifer suitable for human uses in the Piedmont Region.