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Acea celebrates 80 years of Peschiera, one of the largest springwater aqueducts in Europe and in the World which, through about 130 kms of pipeline, covers 80% of Rome’s water requirements
The procedure is underway for the construction of a second aqueduct line

A presentation was held today, attended by the Mayoress of Rome Virginia Raggi, the Chairperson of ACEA Michaela Castelli and Chief Executive Officer Stefano Donnarumma, to announce the events planned by the company to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Peschiera, the main aqueduct serving the city of Rome and part of Lazio, and one of the largest in Europe and in the World.

The events, the history

This engineering masterpiece guarantees approximately 80% of the water supply for over 3 million inhabitants of Rome, of many municipalities in the Rieti and Lower Sabina areas and of the northern coast of Lazio, from Fiumicino to Civitavecchia.

The celebrations will commence with the first historical exhibition, entitled “Peschiera Aqueduct 80th Anniversary”, organised by Alessandro Nicosia’s company C.O.R., entirely dedicated to the construction and subsequent expansion of the work. The exhibition is to be held at Rome’s Palazzo delle Esposizioni from 4 October to 4 November 2018 and will be open to the public, with free admission. Archive images, original documents, vintage videos and ‘installation art’ will be used to retrace the history of the aqueduct, conceived in the early years of the 1900s, which since 1938, year in which the first stone was laid, has been closely associated with the social and economic development of the Capital and the surrounding territory. ACEA will include all the material exhibited in a special publication to mark the event.

Subsequently, on 10 October, the Institutions will be present at the Peschiera springs to attend a ceremony for the 43 workers who lost their lives during the construction of the aqueduct, to whose memory a commemorative medal will be dedicated.

Peschiera’s excellence

The Peschiera-Capore aqueduct – an infrastructure comprising a total of around 130 kms of pipeline – is one of the most important hydraulic works in Europe and in the World. It channels the waters of two springs bearing the corresponding names located in the province of Rieti: the former has a capacity of between 14,500 and 22,000 l/s and the latter of 4,700 l/s. Based on the studies carried out, it has been estimated that the water flowing from the springs remains underground for 15-20 years before being delivered, a circumstance which ensures its high purity. The quality of the water is in any case monitored round the clock by an operations room using sophisticated equipment capable of recording in real time its chemical-physical parameters. Over the years, ACEA has always paid much attention to management of the infrastructure and has recently carried out rehabilitation works on the tunnel collecting the spring water from all the underground passages.

The future

However, it is now clear to everyone that the Peschiera complex needs to be strengthened. Last year’s serious water crisis has made it essential to take action in order to continue guaranteeing the Capital’s water requirements.

Therefore, with a view to safeguarding and enhancing such a strategically important work, the ACEA Group has decided to incorporate in its plans the safety enhancement of the aqueduct, also in relation to seismic risks. The intervention, which has been discussed for around 20 years, will concern the construction of a second pipeline so as to further guarantee the water supply for Rome and the territories involved: a new infrastructure for which the authorisation procedure has already been initiated, in collaboration with all the Institutions concerned.

This investment is consistent with ACEA’s commitment to the sustainable management of its infrastructures and services.