Visit in the lagoon of Venice

A visit in the lagoon of Venice has been organised by the Consorzio Venezia Nuova. The Consorzio Venezia Nuova is the Ministry for Infrastructure and Transport - Venice Water Authority concessionaire responsible for the safeguarding activities of the lagoon that fall within the jurisdiction of the Italian State as defined by law no. 798/84. The Consorzio Venezia Nuova carries out interventions in the lagoon according to three main objectives: defence from high waters, defence from sea storms, and restoration of environmental balance.

Defence from high waters involves an integrated system of interventions. For the complete protection of Venice and other urban areas in the lagoon from high waters of all levels, including in the case of extreme events and in the case of a possible future rise in sea level, a combined system of various types of measures has been developed. These include the temporary closure of all three lagoon inlets by means of mobile gates to protect against exceptional high tides and complementary measures to the mobile gates, together with the interventions for local defence of the lowest-lying urban areas, to protect against the tides that cause the most frequent flooding. This integrated system of measures guarantees not only total protection from high waters, but also guarantees port activity, water quality, and the safeguarding of lagoon morphology.

Defence from sea storms is a complex intervention programme to prevent the erosion of the coastline through the creation of new beaches or the widening of existing ones, the construction of ‘breakwater’ shore structures, the restoration of ancient sea wall defences (murazzi), and, where possible, the restoration of rows of dunes.

Restoration of environmental balance includes the recovery of lagoon morphology and the arrest and reversal of environmental decay. The recovery of lagoon morphology comprises, among others, works such as the dredging of the lagoon channels, the use of the dredged sediment to construct mudflats and salt marshes, the protection of existing salt marshes using advanced natural engineering techniques and, to reduce wave motion, the raising of the lagoon bed and its consolidation by planting eelgrass. The programme also incorporates works to restore the minor islands. Arrest and reversal of environmental decay means, above all, preventing the dispersion of contaminants from dumps that were used in the past to dispose of various types of waste (including industrial) and reducing pollution in the channels and canals of Porto Marghera (on the bottom and sides) by removing the residues of industrial processes that have accumulated over time.

The visit in the lagoon will provide the opportunity to observe interventions, both realised and in progress, for the defence and safeguarding of the precious lagoon ecosystem.