The Centre For Water Research

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LAKE COMO RESTORATION PROJECT

19/09/2006
by Chris Dallimore

MEDIA STATEMENT Friday, 18/8/2006

In October 2006 Researchers at The University of Western Australia's Centre for Water Research will carry out an intensive field experiment in Lake Como, Italy. The experiment, one of the actions of the PLINIUS project, forms part of a €850k project to address the restoration of the western arm of Lake Como and will validate the use of a Flygt pumping system to modify the exchange of nutrient rich water from the western arm into the rest of the Lake. The project is a collaborative project between CWR and the Italian Water Research Institute - National Research Council (IRSA-CNR). It is coordinated by the A. Volta Scientific Cultural Centre - Como and is funded by the Como Province, the Como Town Council, the Como Chamber of Commerce and the Cariplo Foundation.

Lake Como's central position within the Alpine chain makes it an important strategic water resource. Lake Como is used for recreation, professional fishing, drinking water supply and navigation. Its outflow is also used for hydro-electric power generation, industrial purposes and agricultural irrigation. In recent years the area surrounding Lake Como has undergone a transition from a predominantly industrial based economy to one supported by tourism, increasing the need for high water quality standards.

The water exchange enhancement will be achieved with the installation of a pumping system in front of the City of Como. The action of the impellers is to jet polluted surface water vertically down to the metalimnion, entraining water as it descends and upon reaching neutral buoyancy spreading horizontally, as an intrusion, into the interior of the Lake. This enhanced mixing action is a short term action designed to allow a cost effective long term catchment clean up process to be designed and implemented.

As part of the project an integrated decision support system will be installed. Developed at the Centre for Water Research, the technology uses a sophisticated combination of monitoring equipment, database management, computer simulations, web technology and weather forecasting to provide a real-time decision support system for management of the lake.

MEDIA REFERENCE:

Dr Chris Dallimore 61 0400994064

Professor Jorg Imberger 61 8 6488 3911