Alpine Water - Common Good Or Source Of Conflicts? - Clean Water Project - San Giovanni Torrent (Italy)

Lake Maggiore basin (north-western Italy) has always provided opportunities for hydroelectric plants. As is generally known, the right balance between the pres-ervation of the ecological quality of rivers and hydro-power generation is not easy to maintain, mainly due to lack of further research. The exploitation of water for hydroelectric purposes can alter habitats, inducing their loss, impoverishing biodiversity, with significant effects on the most sensitive taxa and on the ecological quality of the water course.As a result of these requirements, the Clean Wa-ter Project, a pilot study carried out on the river San Giovanni with ISE CNR of Verbania, was launched.