Valutazione delle risorse idriche: caso studio della Provincia del Verbano Cusio Ossola (Piemonte, Italia) = The mineral-thermal water resources of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (Piedmont, Italy) Realization of a regional Atlas of both historical and heritage mineral and thermal waters

In Italy people prefer to consume bottled water rather than tap water. Italians are the biggest mineral water drinkers in Europe, with over 200 liters per year for each person. Every year, 16.5 billion liters of water are bottled in the “Bel Paese”, of which almost 15 billion are destined for the domestic market. According to Legambiente datas (https://www.legambiente.it/rapporti-e-osservatori/acque-in-bottiglia/), the mineral water industry in Italy has a turnover of 10 billion euros, with over 260 brands distributed in approximately 140 plants, making Italy the first country in Europe and the second in the world (behind only Mexico) for bottled water consumption. Based on these data, a mountain province like Verbano Cusio Ossola, situated in the north of Italy, rich in mineral and thermal springs, could forcefully enter the national and global market. Water is really abundant in this area. In the province of VCO there are 295 alpine lakes, of which almost 100 are between the Antigorio and Formazza Valleys. There are also 32 artificial basins, of which 14 were built on pre-existing natural lakes. It is also one of the areas of Italy where precipitation is more abundant and persistent for a large part of the year, effectively eliminating the temporal intervals of water stress. In addition to these resources, 22 mineral-thermal springs have been recognized in this area, to which are added several springs exploited for drinking purposes. Many mineral-thermal springs are not currently exploited, despite the fact that in the past there were several bottling companies. The variety of lithologies present in the territory, the abundant precipitations and the large quantities of accumulated snow are determining factors for the variety, quality and quantity of mineral and thermal waters. Considering the potential of these resources, including non-mineral-thermal uses to address possible climate change-induced water crises resulting from global warming, there is a need for a survey of available resources that provides the information regarding quality, quantity, and possible use of the resource in order to plan for environmentally sustainable use of these waters. In this paper we will proceed with the rediscovery of much of this heritage of this small Piedmontese province, situated between Switzerland and Lombardy, full of potential.