Geostatistical analysis of pollutant concentrations in the groundwater systems of Vicenza Province.

The following thesis aims to depict the spatio-temporal evolution of underground water quality in the high to middle plain area of the Vicenza Province. Monitoring groundwater quality is crucial for safeguarding environmental health and protecting citizens from any sources of water pollution, especially since many private wells are present in the study area. This study is contextually significant as it results from a scholarship awarded by Viacqua S.p.A., a company responsible for water supply in 68 municipalities within the Vicenza province. A comprehensive database recorded between 1981 and 2023 was provided and divided into two hydrogeologic systems of the Vicenza plain: the Agno valley and the plain to the north of Vicenza municipality. They are divided by a hillock system, making them hydraulically independent from each other. The domain is characterized by extensive industrial and agricultural activities, necessitating the consideration of pollutants related to these sectors. The pollutants analyzed include the sum of PCE (perchloroethylene), TCE (trichloroethylene), collectively referred as “total solvents” related to industrial activities, nitrates and pesticides associated with agricultural activities, and sulphates and chlorides from both natural and industrial sources. The analyses conducted were initially statistical and then geostatistical, with a particular focus on the ordinary kriging interpolation method. Maps showing the evolution of the contamination plumes over time, if present, and graphs representing the data trends are primary tools used to study the evolution of groundwater quality.