Groundwater budget of Maiella (Italy)

This paper presents the hydrogeological characterization of the Maiella karstic aquifer with specific attention to its groundwater budget. The hydrology of the territory has been taken into consideration to point out a possible role for the infiltration process. Also the geomorphological features have been observed to highlight the principal recharge points of the groundwater basin. At the border of the carbonate basin, there are four great springs with annual median discharges of approximately 7.5 m3/sec. The groundwater balance of the area has been made by the use of a particular method called “inverse balance” applied at a large discretization of the area with over 6000 square elements. A geographic information system has used, incorporating a layer of geology of the massif, its pedologic information and the pertinent coefficient of infiltration of all soil types and a layer with georeferenced springs