Constructed wetlands as a multipurpose green infrastructure in Gorla Maggiore, Italy

Date of entry : 06/03/2019

Date of last edition : 17/11/2020

Tabgroup

Informations

Solution ID

Title of Nature Base Solution

Constructed wetlands as a multipurpose green infrastructure in Gorla Maggiore, Italy

External links

https://oppla.eu/casestudy/17252

Description of solution

Summary (Challenges; Objectives)

"Testing the feasibility of a green infrastructure, instead of a traditional grey infrastructure, to treat sewage overflows, and investigating the multiple benefits that the green infrastructure provides and its relevance for water management." Potential impacts/benefits: - Improved management of water resources for the benefit of people and biodiversity. - Providing evidence that green infrastructures, besides complying with the existing water regulations, provide additional services. - Providing the regional government, the main sponsor of the infrastructure, with a cost-benefit analysis that can be replicated to analyse the potential impact of this kind of intervention in other locations. - Showing the perspective of different groups of stakeholders (local residents, municipality, water & environmental managers, experts and NGOs)

Technical characteristics

"The green infrastructure consists of a set of constructed wetlands (CW), surrounded by a park on the shore of the Olona River in an area previously used for poplar plantation. It includes a) a pollutant removal area with a grid, a sedimentation tank and 4 vertical sub-surface flow CW; b) a surface flow CW with multiple roles, such as pollution retention, buffer for flood events, maintenance of biodiversity and recreation; and c) a recreational park with restored riparian trees, green open space, information panels, walking and cycling paths and other services. The whole surface area is 6.5 ha."

Success factors / lessons learnt

"The green infrastructure (constructed wetlands and park) performs equal to or even better than the grey alternative for water purification and flood protection. It provides additional benefits (wildlife support and recreation) specially valued by the local residents and stakeholders, and it has similar costs."

Location Latitude

45.6651800000

Location Longitude

8.8968200000

Comment on location

Gorla Maggiore is a municipality of ca. 5000 inhabitants in the Lombardy Region, northern Italy. The mean household annual income is around 29,120 €; and the population economically active is 54%.

Keywords

Ecosystem (s) impacted

Rivers

Wetlands

Hazard(s) concerned

Floods

Other challenges

Human well-being/Recreational activities

Other keyword

local

Activity

Are there jobs created in the nature-based sector?

Don't know

Are there new employments in tourism sector, sport activities or recreational activites ?

Don't know

Are there new activities in the tourism sector , sport activities or recreational activites?

Don't know

Temporal aspects

Design life time of the action

Don’t know

Implementation time of the action

Don’t know

Others

Is it possible to transpose this action in a different context?

Yes, it is easily transposable

Evaluation

Risk reduction

Hazard

Exposure

Vulnerability

Feasibility

Technical Feasibility

Economic Feasibility

Environment

Water

Soil

Vegetation

Landscape

Biodiversity

Society

Quality of Life

Community involvement

Landscape Heritage

Economy

Revitalization

Local Economy