Comparison between different vulnerability analysis methods applied to a volcanic groundwater system

This research deals with the comparison among three different assessment methods of aquifer's vulnerability, applied to the aquifer that feeds Acqua Vergine's springs, located south-east of Rome. Geologically, this aquifer covers only a part of Colli Albani's large volcanic area. The whole area is volcanic, because of the eruption of the well-known Tuscolano-Artemisio enclosure. This apparatus has originated two different lava flows, that collect the waters and convey them up to the surface near the small town of Salone, where the ground is less permeable. The three different methods used in this work are: the zoning of homogeneous areas, the assessment by parametrical systems, one based on simple score and one on weight and scores. The application of these three methods to the above aquifer analysed has permitted to develop some interesting ideas on the adaptability of vulnerability assessment systems to specific types of the studied aquifer.