Bradano-Basento, management scenarios for water resource management in Basilicata

8th edition. First Prize in the degree thesis competition of the Italian National Committee for Large Dams. The research by the winner, Giulia Acconciaioco: the drinking water sector is the most penalized.

23 June 2026

A new climatic context. Water resource management is now one of the main challenges for Southern Italy. Rising temperatures, irregular rainfall, and the increasing frequency of extreme events are putting pressure on supply systems designed in a climatic context that is profoundly different from the current one.

River basin. When speaking of water supply, one tends to imagine a simple path, from the source to the tap. In reality, the availability of water for cities, agriculture, and productive activities depends on extremely complex infrastructure systems. Rainwater falling on the ground naturally flows into the watercourses of the relevant river basin.

In many cases this resource is collected and stored in artificial lakes created by dams, so that it can be used during drier periods or when demand increases.

Water schemes. The set of these water collection, transport, and distribution works constitutes the so-called water schemes, which are fundamental for managing the resource in Southern Italy.

La Basilicata. In this context, the Basilicata region plays a strategic role thanks to the presence of important watercourses, including Bradano, Basento, Agri, Sinni, Cavone, and Noce. Combined with favorable geomorphological characteristics, the region hosts one of the most significant water storage systems in Southern Italy.

The resources stored in the reservoirs of Basilicata, in fact, not only meet the needs of Basilicata itself, but are partly transferred to Puglia, where they support drinking water supply and irrigation in the central and northern areas of the region.

The Bradano-Basento water scheme. Among the most relevant infrastructures is the Bradano-Basento water scheme, an articulated system of reservoirs, diversion structures, and transfer works that plays a fundamental role for drinking, irrigation, and industrial uses in the central-eastern area of Basilicata. The scheme includes the reservoirs of Pantano di Pignola, Camastra, Acerenza, Genzano, and Serra del Corvo, as well as the diversion structures (connecting infrastructures) of Trivigno and Orto del Tufo on the Basento River.

Critical issues. Despite its strategic importance, the Bradano-Basento water scheme presents some critical issues related to the failure to complete part of the planned works, reservoir siltation, aging infrastructure, and the need to modernize monitoring and management systems. These issues, together with the effects of climate change, have helped bring the issue of water security back to the forefront, as demonstrated, for example, by the crisis that affected the Potenza area in recent years.

This has highlighted the need, alongside infrastructure interventions, to seek advanced analysis and planning tools for such networks in order to improve their capacity to respond to crisis situations.

The research thesis. In this context lies the research work of the degree thesis, “Assessment of water resource management scenarios for the Bradano-Basento system” by Giulia Acconciaioco, 26 years old from Barletta, now a PhD candidate at Poliba.

1st prize. The thesis won the 8th edition of the ITCOLD 2026 Degree Award, dedicated to the best university theses focused on dams and water resource management. The initiative is promoted by the Italian National Committee for Large Dams, ITCOLD, a scientific association that promotes the study of issues related to dams, their construction, and their operation. The award is part of the activities through which ITCOLD promotes research and innovation in the field of large dams and water infrastructure, highlighting the most innovative scientific contributions in the national landscape.

The thesis (supervisor, Prof. Vito Iacobellis) was developed at the Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building and Chemical Engineering – DICATECh of Poliba.

Ambiente WEAP. The study was developed through the creation of a model in the WEAP environment (Water Evaluation and Planning System). The model made it possible to represent the operation of reservoirs, transfer works and the main potable, irrigation and industrial demands, providing an overall view of the system’s behavior under realistic management conditions.

The limitations identified. The results showed that the Bradano-Basento scheme, while overall ensuring the satisfaction of irrigation demands, still does not fully express its potential due to infrastructural and management constraints.

Drinking water, Camastra dam. The drinking water sector is the one most affected by the current limitations of the supply system. In this context, the Camastra reservoir (Trivigno – PZ) emerges as the main critical element, significantly affecting the security of drinking water supply, with clear repercussions on the urban areas of the Potenza region.

Prospects and interventions. The study analyzed several infrastructure upgrading scenarios, assuming the completion of the works originally planned and now partly already funded under the Reservoir Plan 2020-2029. In particular, the simulations assessed the effects of restoring the full storage capacity of the Acerenza and Genzano reservoirs and the full operation of the other infrastructures. The possibility of expanding irrigable areas through more flexible management of water transfers between reservoirs was also analyzed. The simulations showed how these interventions can make the system more flexible and efficient, enabling more rational resource management and greater responsiveness during periods of higher water demand. The analysis was also extended to the effects of climate change. In this scenario, restoring the capacity of existing reservoirs and completing interconnections between basins are strategic interventions to strengthen the overall resilience of the system, reduce its vulnerability to drought periods, and improve the reliability of water supply.

The structures investigated by the thesis. Pantano di Pignola dam; Camastra dam; Acerenza dam; Genzano dam; Serra del Corvo dam; San Giuliano dam; Trivigno weir; Orto di Tufo weir; Acerenza node; Masseria Romaniello drinking water treatment plant.

The article Bradano-Basento, management scenarios for water resource management in Basilicata comes from Poliba Chronicle.