The problem of modeling limestone springs: The case of Bagnara (north Apennines, Italy)

The Bagnara spring (Central Italy), fed by a fractured, carbonate, and, in some areas, karstic aquifer, was examined. The available information is derived from geological mapping and daily flows over a period of 20 consecutive years. There are no data on the hydrogeological parameters nor on the aquifer hydraulic head, which is known only at the elevation of the spring. The objective of the work was to construct an appropriate mathematical model for the spring despite the scarcity of available information. The MODFLOW code was used to simulate the system following the equivalent porous media approach. The hydraulic conductivity and the specific yield equivalents were estimated by calibrating the model on the master depletion curve and taking into consideration the topographic elevation of the system's surface. The size of the protection area around the spring was investigated on the basis of the isochrons constructed from the results of the model.