Spring Blitz Italia: A National Citizen Science Event for Water Sources

We are pleased to inform you of the start of the Spring Blitz Italia 2025. With this event we all try together to acquire more data on the sources of our territories at the end of the rainy period. April and spring in general are an important time in the hydrological year. In fact, the period of greatest rain and precipitation is coming to an end and we are approaching the driest summer period. For this reason it is important to acquire data on the sources now that water resources are at their annual maximum, and then compare the data with the summer period.

Download the PDF with the explanatory images

Spring Blitz Objectives:

1) Create a photograph of the state of the springs at the end of the rainy period, when the water resources will be at their maximum recharge and before the start of the summer lean periods.

2) Create a map of the stable isotopes of water by sampling the sources.

Duration: from 03/22/2025 to 04/30/2025

Find this link the recording of the webinar presenting the event and the presentation.

How to participate:

1) Download or update the Acqua Sorgente app (Android and iOS).

2) Monitor as many sources as possible in your territory and involve new people in the activities. For each monitor, enter Spring Blitz along with the name of the source in the “NAME” field of the form.

3) For the contact persons, take a sample of a source in your area using the bottle delivered with the instrument. Each bottle is numbered. Include the bottle number in the tracking notes and also a photo of the bottle showing the number. Associating the bottle number with the tracking is essential for tracking the samples. Send the bottle by regular mail to:

Dr. Matteo Nigro
via R. Fucini Ghezzano, 20
56017 -Ghezzano (PI).

Download the PDF with the explanatory images

Monitoring procedure:

Point 1) – Photo of the source and reporting the presence or absence of water.

Point 2) – Flow rate measurement.

Point 3) – Measurement of electrical conductivity and temperature.

The information from point 1 is enough for valid monitoring to be entered into the database.

Download the PDF with the explanatory images

Sampling procedure:

Perform monitoring steps 1, 2 and 3.

Additionally, take a sample of water as described in the image in step 4. Fill the bottle once with spring water and empty it to wash it. Fill the bottle to the brim and close the cap tightly (you can add a round of adhesive tape to secure it). Enter the bottle number in the tracking notes, and also a photo of the bottle where you can see the number. The bottle number is crucial to associate it with the source.

Finally, send the bottle to the address indicated above.

If we succeed in this experiment, it will be the first time at a European level that a similar data collection is carried out and also by a Participatory Science project. We will demonstrate what we can do as citizens in the study and protection of our waters 💧

Download the PDF with the explanatory images