Minimum Flow estimation tools validated through hydrological and ecological monitoring in Alpine rivers

An experimental multidisciplinary study was applied to three watersheds inside the national park of Belluno Dolomites (Veneto region, Northern Italy) to verify experimentally the hydrological and ecological effects on river base-flow regime and fluvial functionality of water abstraction for energy supply. For a total of 15 sites (13 river sections and 2 main head-water springs), located upstream and downstream of main water abstraction plants, a hydrological (whole year) and ecological (growing season) monitoring scheme has been applied during 2006-2007. Minimum Acceptable Flow (MAF) was calculated through different empirical and analytical tools and compared with monitoring results. A high resilience of river ecosystems in response to water abstraction was highlighted; indeed major ecological effects were due to other factors, either of anthropic (preventing erosion weirs) or natural (geomorphology of river bed) origin.