An interdisciplinary approach to study sediment Flushing operations from alpine reservoirs: Ecological, hydro-Morphological and Management Aspects

The MUR PRIN 2022 FluEMMA project was aimed at assessing the ecological and hydro-morphological effects of sediment flushing operations from reservoirs in Alpine streams, with the ultimate goal of improving the sustainable management of these operations through science-based criteria. The project involved three Operational Research Units, covering the entire Alpine context: University of Eastern Piedmont, University of Insubria and Free University of Bozen. During two years, the research team (i) analysed previously available data and legislation at local, national and international scale to provide a synthesis of the scientific literature and technical guidelines on this research topic; (ii) monitored new case studies using shared methodologies for the collection of biological and hydro-morphological data; (iii) applied innovative approaches to better evaluate the response of benthic macroinvertebrates to fine sediment (i.e. flume-based experiment) as well as to study and model the sedimentation dynamics according to the hydro-morphological conditions; (iv) investigated management and biomonitoring alternatives for reducing the impacts associated with sediment flushing operations and for promoting the post-flushing recovery (i.e. resilience) of both habitats and biodiversity.