Historic Floods and Flood Prevention in Lower Veronese Creek

Floods and inundations have a long history in the Lower Veronese. Gianni Sambugaro, who is not only a technical expert but also a historian of Veronese hydraulics, has documented hundreds of them in his books, spanning only the last six centuries. “Between the 1300s and 1796,” he recounts, “there are records of at least one hundred significant floods of the Adige River, with the most important probably occurring in 1436. Floods after which the river’s banks broke, and its waters created two new courses of water, the Castagnaro and the Malopera. These diversions, as they are technically called, both flowed into the Tartaro, which, unable to contain the waters, overflowed, creating the Valli Grandi swamp.” “In 1868, the Adige broke at Legnago, causing devastating consequences, and in 1882 it caused floods that covered the entire plain up to the Po River. Long thereafter, major floods were documented. In 1926, in 1928 (when the water reached a higher level than in 1882 but with much less impact because fountains overflowed but the banks held), in 1932, in 1936, in 1944, in 1951, in 1952, in 1956, in 1966 (when the Adige caused extensive damage from Trentino to the gates of Verona, and during the flood of Florence caused by the Arno), in 1972, in 1976, in 1982, and in 1986. “From 1954 onwards, greater protection was achieved through the raising of the banks, which are currently insurmountable but structurally fragile, requiring constant maintenance to avoid the risk of fountain lakes, and between 1968 and 1986, the Garda tunnel contributed to safety south of Verona.” While the most significant river flowing through the Lowlands seems to have granted a respite recently, other watercourses have not been so fortunate. “In ’92,” continues Sambugaro, “a lot happened. The banks of the Chiampo, Illasi, and Aldegà rivers broke, flooding fields, houses, and roads, causing disruptions even in the Lower Veronese, and due to intense and concentrated autumnal rainfall, problems also arose with other rivers,”. Beyond the floods that occurred in various areas of the Lowlands, that year also saw infiltration issues in rivers such as the Guà or the Fratta. (lu.fi.)