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In the northern Apennines of Italy, springs are quite widespread over the slopes. Due to the outcropping of low-permeability geologic units, they are generally characterized by low-yield capacities and high discharge variability during the hydrologic year. In addition, low-flow periods (discharge lower than 1 Ls -1 ) reflect rainfall and snowmelt distribution and generally occur in summer seasons. These features strongly condition the management for water-supply purposes, making it particularly complex. The "Mulino delle Vene" springs (420 m a.s.l., Reggio Emilia Province, Italy) are one of the largest in the Apennines for mean annual discharge and dynamic storage and are considered as the main water resource in the area. They flow out from several joints and fractures at the bottom of an arenite rock mass outcrop in the vicinity of the Tresinaro River. To date, these springs have not yet been exploited, as the knowledge about the hydrogeological characteristics of the aquifer and their hydrological behaviour is not fully achieved. This study aims to describe the recharge processes and to define the hydrogeological boundaries of the aquifer. It is based on river and spring discharge monitoring and groundwater balance assessment carried out during the period 2012-2013. Results confirm the effectiveness of the approach, as it allowed the total aliquot of discharge of the springs to be assessed. Moreover, by comparing the observed discharge volume with the one calculated with the groundwater balance, the aquifer has been identified with the arenite slab (mean altitude of 580 m a.s.l.), extended about 5.5 km 2 and located 1 km west of the monitored springs.

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Water scarcity periods will increase in frequency and magnitude in the near future, especially in Mediterranean regions, and proper groundwater management has been recognized as a key issue to mitigate possible impacts. In this context, numerical models acquire a special relevance to quantify the availability of water resources and predict their behavior under changing climate conditions. This work shows the procedure followed to model a mountainous fractured aquifer located in the northern Apennines (Italy) using an open source code. This aquifer feeds springs with an average discharge of about 96.8 L/s. Even though they are not exploited at the moment, these springs might represent a relevant resource of freshwater for public water supply and are essential for ecosystem sustainment. The main limitation faced to model the aquifer in a realistic way is the lack of data, which hinders the calibration of the model. A nonconventional procedure was followed to obtain information on the hydraulic parameters. The hydraulic conductivity is computed from a steady-state calibration for which a limited number of groundwater head observations are available, whilst information concerning the storage coefficient is obtained analytically from the spring discharge recession curve. Finally, the model is used for predicting the system behavior under different groundwater recharge scenarios. Numerical simulations and analytical approximations reveal that the studied aquifer can provide fresh water under different groundwater recharge conditions and has the capacity to smooth the effects of short drought periods, representing an option for water management strategies in the region.

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