A project to reduce risk in stream management

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 12 AGO - A project to reduce risk in managing streams in Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) and Slovenia is underway. This two-year project, named "Torrent," is led by the University of Udine and is co-funded with €717,000 from the EU under the Interreg Italy-Slovenia 2021-2027 program. The goal of the project is to enhance the planning and maintenance of watercourse control structures. The research will concentrate on six pilot watersheds in the region (Moscardo in Paluzza, Orteglas in Paularo, Miozza in Ovaro, and Cella-Vuom in Camporosso) and in Slovenia (Krvavec, north of Ljubljana, and Osapska in Osp, in the Koper region).
    The project partners include the FVG Region, the Regional Development Center of Koper, and the University of Ljubljana.
    Federico Cazorzi is leading the project, coordinated by a research group from the Department of Agri-food, Environmental, and Animal Sciences at the University of Udine. The research aims to develop an innovative methodology providing intervention guidelines for watershed management issues in Italy and Slovenia. The project will work on the pilot watersheds to develop easy-to-use tools, with the ultimate goal of applying the guidelines to all mountain and hillside watersheds in the region and Slovenia.
    The project started by gathering and exchanging historical data on hydrological processes, geomorphological surveys, control structure data, and mitigation strategies. The initial results have led to the development of an indicator of the functionality of hydraulic forestry control structures, known as the Maintenance Priority Index (MPI), which can also act as a priority index for maintenance interventions. (ANSA).