New paths

02.01.2022

 Today I followed with Rosie a new path along a previously walked trail. This path was in fact a shortcut of the official trail along the Bruino-Piossasco cycle lane and it took us to an information board which explained some of the local canal system.

Here's a picture and I included a translation of the text in Italian.

WATER RESOURCES

Water is a fundamental primary resource for the survival of humans and natural ecosystems, and is an essential public good for economic and social progress. However, it is a limited resource and it is therefore essential to manage it responsibly and in an integrated manner, i.e. taking into account the different functions it performs.

THE PIOSSASCO MUNICIPAL CANAL

The Piossasco Municipal Canal is an artificial watercourse which originates from the intake on the Sangone stream, in the locality of Loja del Gallo, in the municipal territory of Trana. Just downstream of the intake, it splits into the Rio Sangonetto and the upper Bealera of Piossasco.

The system of artificial canals is of considerable historical interest: the first mention is included in a 1348 sentence which "recognised the custom" to the Lords of Piossasco of deriving from Trana one third of the water of the Sangone stream.

The hydraulic intake draws water from the Sangone throughout the year, with seasonal variations in flow rate from 250 to 520 litres per second, for irrigation purposes and to always guarantee a minimum flow rate to protect the aquatic ecosystem.

Thanks to funding from the "Corona Verde" project, it was possible to rebuild the crossbar and embankment, which were damaged by the heavy flooding in autumn 2011, and to build a ladder for fish, which is essential to allow fish, especially salmonids, to overcome the existing derivation structures (weirs, intake structures), which are real obstacles to their natural mobility, thus restoring river continuity.

In spite of its artificial origin, the Sangonetto stream today appears for the most part to be a natural watercourse: its banks are home to typical vegetation, with Alders and Ash trees predominating, as well as gobies and shrubs, typical species of lowland river stretches.

THE SANGONE TORRENT RIVER CONTRACT

The entire Sangone basin, including the territories in which its derivations flow, is involved in a River Contract process, a voluntary agreement signed in 2009 by all the municipalities involved.

The contract commits public institutions and private actors to work together to achieve a shared objective: the enhancement of the territory starting with the protection of its water bodies.

The process leading up to the signing of the contract is a long and complex one: the comparison between subjects with different interests (administrators, fishermen, tourists, quarrymen, farmers, industrialists, etc.) makes it possible to draw up a concerted action plan that guarantees shared responsibility.

For further information check:  Metropolitan City of Turin, Water Resources Service

[To help my translation I use www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)]