August 2003 AGGMAN Geology

The Polo Estrattivo

An Italian province develops an innovative approach to aggregate resource management.

Imagine you are on an airplane headed for vacation in Italy. You can’t sleep because all these questions are rolling through your head… “Have they found a way to stabilize the Tower of Pisa?” “Will floodgates be able to keep Venice from drowning?” “Will Modena Province be able to secure an adequate supply of natural aggregate?” Really!
Okay, maybe you have never heard of Modena Province. But some people are worried about how Modena can continue to supply itself with aggregates. Modena Province is located in the Emilia Romagna Region in northern Italy. The main mineral resources produced in the Province are: (1) sand and gravel from alluvial fans at the front of the Apennine Mountains and from terraces and floodplains of the Secchia and Panaro Rivers; (2) clay for ceramics and brick from the hills and high plain; and (3) landscaping stone from the Apennine Mountains. Outcrops of material suitable for use as crushed stone in the Apennine Mountains are lacking, so sand and gravel are the primary construction materials.
Extremely intense, uncontrolled aggregate extraction during the economic boom of the 1960s resulted in significant damage to the environment, both within and outside the riverbeds. By the beginning of the 1980s, the development of rigid environmental laws resulted in a decrease in the excavation of gravel, especially from the riverbeds.
The restricted distribution of sand and gravel combined with the high quality requirements for their use stimulated the development of a plan that restricts the use of sand and gravel to high-value purposes. The Emilia Romagna Region, which is comprised of Modena Province as well as seven other provinces, recognized that the extractive industries are key industries that contribute to jobs, wealth, and a high quality of life for the citizens within the region. Therefore, the Emilia Romagna Region developed a regional mineral policy and directed its provinces to prepare a PIAE – Piano Infraregionale per le Attività Estrattive (Intra-regional Plan for Extractive Activities).
A PIAE has been in place in Modena Province since 1993. The province currently is preparing a variant of the PIAE that will combine the needs of the building and ceramic industry with the protection of the environment. The objectives of the variant of the PIAE include ensuring access to needed construction materials, minimizing the impacts from resource extraction, and guaranteeing the reclamation of extraction sites in a manner consistent with the existing landscape. To accomplish those objectives, the province is utilizing the innovative concept of the polo estrattivo.
Polo (or the plural form poli) is an Italian word that translates roughly to the English word “district.” It designates an area where a group of similar activities are located, such as an industrial district or a commercial district. Estrattivo means extractive. Therefore, the polo estrattivo is an extractive district. But the polo estrattivo is not just a collection of pits; it is the entire area characterized by the prevalence of resource extraction activities and includes the intervening and surrounding territory that is subject to mining impacts.
By applying the concept of the polo estrattivo, the operation or reclamation of planned, active, and abandoned pits and the reclamation of areas degraded by other human activities can be considered in one unified plan. In essence, the polo estrattivo is a means to optimize the use of space and resources and to manage the entire area.
Modena Province is encouraging the extraction of aggregate between adjacent pits within a polo estrattivo, which should result in a more efficient method of aggregate extraction than leaving the intervening land in place. Similarly, in some poli the province is encouraging the deepening of existing pits if it can be demonstrated that doing so will not harm the quality or quantity of the ground water. Both of these techniques allow the extraction of more aggregate without disturbing additional land outside the polo.
Some aggregate operations locate processing equipment in highly visible locations outside of the pit area near riverbeds, and Modena Province is encouraging the relocation of that equipment into poli estrattivi. In addition, previous aggregate extraction activities have resulted in abandonment of pits. The province is offering producers the opportunity to extract additional aggregate from those pits if the producers agree to assist with reclamation.
Finally, other activities, such as channel modifications for flood control in combination with aggregate extraction from rivers and floodplains, have degraded parts of the river systems in the Province. Future aggregate extraction is being encouraged in the degraded river systems if it is part of a larger plan that includes reclamation of the sites as natural habitat.
Aggregate producers in Modena Province are being given the opportunity to make a positive contribution to biodiversity and sustainable ecosystems through carefully planned and managed aggregate extraction and the reclamation of previously degraded areas.
Now that you know that Modena’s aggregate resources are being taken care of, you can stop worrying. Think instead about good things, like bread, cheese, wine, and the world-famous balsamic vinegar produced in Modena.

William H. Langer is a geologist with the Mineral Resources Team of the U.S. Geological Survey.

August 2003 Carved in Stone The Polo Estrattivo				The Polo Estrattivo An Italian province develops an innovative approach to aggregate resource management. By Bill Langer Imagine you are on an airplane headed for vacation in Italy. You can’t sleep because all these questions are rolling through your head… “Have they found a way to stabilize the Tower of Pisa?” “Will floodgates be able to keep Venice from drowning?” “Will Modena Province be able to secure an adequate supply of natural aggregate?” Really! Okay, maybe you have never heard of Modena Province. But some people are worried about how Modena can continue to supply itself with aggregates. Modena Province is located in the Emilia Romagna Region in northern Italy. The main mineral resources produced in the Province are: (1) sand and gravel from alluvial fans at the front of the Apennine Mountains and from terraces and floodplains of the Secchia and Panaro Rivers; (2) clay for ceramics and brick from the hills and high plain; and (3) landscaping stone from the Apennine Mountains. Outcrops of material suitable for use as crushed stone in the Apennine Mountains are lacking, so sand and gravel are the primary construction materials. Extremely intense, uncontrolled aggregate extraction during the economic boom of the 1960s resulted in significant damage to the environment, both within and outside the riverbeds. By the beginning of the 1980s, the development of rigid environmental laws resulted in a decrease in the excavation of gravel, especially from the riverbeds. The restricted distribution of sand and gravel combined with the high quality requirements for their use stimulated the development of a plan that restricts the use of sand and gravel to high-value purposes. The Emilia Romagna Region, which is comprised of Modena Province as well as seven other provinces, recognized that the extractive industries are key industries that contribute to jobs, wealth, and a high quality of life for the citizens within the region. Therefore, the Emilia Romagna Region developed a regional mineral policy and directed its provinces to prepare a PIAE – Piano Infraregionale per le Attività Estrattive (Intra-regional Plan for Extractive Activities). A PIAE has been in place in Modena Province since 1993. The province currently is preparing a variant of the PIAE that will combine the needs of the building and ceramic industry with the protection of the environment. The objectives of the variant of the PIAE include ensuring access to needed construction materials, minimizing the impacts from resource extraction, and guaranteeing the reclamation of extraction sites in a manner consistent with the existing landscape. To accomplish those objectives, the province is utilizing the innovative concept of the polo estrattivo. Polo (or the plural form poli) is an Italian word that translates roughly to the English word “district.” It designates an area where a group of similar activities are located, such as an industrial district or a commercial district. Estrattivo means extractive. Therefore, the polo estrattivo is an extractive district. But the polo estrattivo is not just a collection of pits; it is the entire area characterized by the prevalence of resource extraction activities and includes the intervening and surrounding territory that is subject to mining impacts. By applying the concept of the polo estrattivo, the operation or reclamation of planned, active, and abandoned pits and the reclamation of areas degraded by other human activities can be considered in one unified plan. In essence, the polo estrattivo is a means to optimize the use of space and resources and to manage the entire area. Modena Province is encouraging the extraction of aggregate between adjacent pits within a polo estrattivo, which should result in a more efficient method of aggregate extraction than leaving the intervening land in place. Similarly, in some poli the province is encouraging the deepening of existing pits if it can be demonstrated that doing so will not harm the quality or quantity of the ground water. Both of these techniques allow the extraction of more aggregate without disturbing additional land outside the polo. Some aggregate operations locate processing equipment in highly visible locations outside of the pit area near riverbeds, and Modena Province is encouraging the relocation of that equipment into poli estrattivi. In addition, previous aggregate extraction activities have resulted in abandonment of pits. The province is offering producers the opportunity to extract additional aggregate from those pits if the producers agree to assist with reclamation. Finally, other activities, such as channel modifications for flood control in combination with aggregate extraction from rivers and floodplains, have degraded parts of the river systems in the Province. Future aggregate extraction is being encouraged in the degraded river systems if it is part of a larger plan that includes reclamation of the sites as natural habitat. Aggregate producers in Modena Province are being given the opportunity to make a positive contribution to biodiversity and sustainable ecosystems through carefully planned and managed aggregate extraction and the reclamation of previously degraded areas. Now that you know that Modena’s aggregate resources are being taken care of, you can stop worrying. Think instead about good things, like bread, cheese, wine, and the world-famous balsamic vinegar produced in Modena. William H. Langer is a geologist with the Mineral Resources Team of the U.S. Geological Survey.