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VENICE LAGOON
INTERVENTIONS FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE COASTLINE FROM THE SEA STORMS
Sea defences for the ports and lagoon of Venice
From
north to south, the watershed between the Adriatic and the lagoon is
defined by
the coastlines of Jesolo, Cavallino, Lido, Pellestrina, Sottomarina and Isola
Verde, a 60 kilometre long strip of land interrupted by the mouths of the
rivers Sile (to the north) and Brenta (to the south) and the three inlets of
Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia. The first line of defence against sea storms,
down the centuries, the coast has literally lost its function. Waves and
currents together with a series of other factors such as land subsidence have
progressively eroded the beaches, reducing their width or even completely
eliminating them. The built-up areas near the sea have found themselves ever
more exposed to risk.
These
problems have been tackled with a complex intervention programme including,
depending on local conditions, the creation of new beaches or widening of
existing ones; construction or reinforcement of “breakwater” shore structures;
restoration of the ancient seawall defences (murazzi) and, where possible,
restoration of the band of dunes. This latter type of measure, as well as providing
protection against sea storms, is also aimed at restoring elements once typical
of the environment and coastal landscape and the favourite habitat for
characteristic species of animals and plants.
The sea side
system of interventions is integrated with the programme of interventions being
implemented on the lagoon side for the local defence of built-up areas on the
coastal strip from high tides.
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Achievements
to date
To date, work has been completed or is underway on five of the six
lengths of coastline for a total of almost 40 km out of the 50 km specified in
the General Plan of Interventions (80%). |
INTERVENTIONS FOR THE PROTECTION OF
THE COASTLINE FROM THE SEA STORMS
Revamping of the breakwaters at the inlets of
the Venice lagoon
The
construction of the six jetties, or breakwaters, at the entrances of the three
ports of the Venice lagoon, Chioggia, Malamocco
and Lido, which was carried o ut in the period between the mid-nineteenth century
to the early twentieth century, was motivated by the need to protect
the lagoon’s shipping access
channels against filling with sediment. These works did in fact cause an
increase in the depth of the access channels, but at the expense of the
stability of the breakwaters.
The aim of
the new intervention was to consolidate and restore the stability of the breakwaters,
definitively counteracting the deterioration which previous ordinary maintenance
work had tackled by remedying the most immediate damage without, however,
eliminating the causes.
The Project
includes the reconstruction of 6 breakwaters at the 3 lagoon port entrances on
depths varying from 9 to 19 m, for a
significant wave height of 5,5 m, and for a total length of approx. 6,200 m.
Interventions
for the restoration of the environment [Click
here]
Interventions
for the protection against flooding
[Click here]
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