Monitoring and Modeling Digestate Fate and Transport in Infiltrating Afforested Areas Versus Maize/Ray-Grass Rotation Plots

Managed aquifer recharge systems must account for the expected long-run performance from a water quality viewpoint to be considered sustainable in ameliorating not only the groundwater quantity but also its quality. Gravity-driven infiltration ditches in newly afforested areas are one of many managed aquifer recharge systems that could enhance the availability of groundwater resources in medium and short runs. Although, in highly anthropized landscapes such as in Northern Italy, the need of large areas for managed recharge systems is often controversial with respect to the classical land use, which is prevalently agricultural. For this reason, a large scale field experiment has been conducted recently to assess the potential of combining managed aquifer recharge systems with the need of maintain productive the land (Mastrocicco et al. in Ecohydrology, 9(1):167–178, 2016).