The Timonchio site (see case studies 09 and 11) is located near the Venetian Pre-Alps, crossed by the Leogra and the Timonchio rivers and artificial channels crucial for historical manufacturing, irrigation, and runoff control. The case study is located in the Veneto region that signed the Mission Charter of the EU Mission on Climate Adaptation.
Case study area
0,14 km² urban site
Climate and soil
Mediterranean mountains bio-region
Silty clay soils
Sponge measure
Surface water
Basin (detention pond)
1. Challenge
In Veneto, Italy, floods, landslides, and erosion have significantly affected the region. Municipalities face increased flood risks due to rising land consumption, more in northern Italy. Santorso and Marano Vicentino, in Vincenza's north, use sponge measures to counter pluvial flooding and improve rainwater management.
2. Type of sponge measures
Through an agreement between farmers, administrators and the reclamation consortium, a water retention basin was realized in 2019 on private agricultural land in Giavenale locality (Municipality of Schio) to mitigate the flood risk of a downstream residential area, to provide water for irrigation during the dry season to the nearby crops, and to improve the ecological value of the area.
3. Monitoring
The basin has been monitored since 2020 to analyse its effectiveness in flood mitigation.
4. Stakeholders
Municipality of Marano Vicentino, Municipality of Schio, Reclamation Consortium "Alta Pianura Veneta", Farmers, Veneto Region’s Agency for Innovation in the Primary Sector, University of Padua.
5. Reference information
Municipality of Marano Vicentino ,which benefits from the hydraulic risk reduction service.
Reclamation Consortium Alta Pianura Veneta ,which manages the sponge measure.
The Veneto Region Agency for Innovation in the Primary Sector (Veneto Agricoltura) ,which designed and realised vegetation planting.
Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry of the University of Padua