Accedi
With reference to the Project “Works for eliminating the obstruction of River Salso’s mouth” we found some articles on online newspapers and on the official website of Sicily Region. The first news about the project date back on 21 November 2018 when the Civil Protection operators carried out an inspection in the area of River Salso's mouth. On 21 January 2019 a work assignment was given to the town of Licata. On 19 September 2019, the municipal government assigned the works to a building company. The works had to be started by 30 September 2020 and the articles report that they started on 21 September of the same year. On 10 November 2020 an official document was emitted for financing the project. The end of the works was scheduled by 31 December 2020. But on the site Opencoesione there is not any news about the end of the works which still seem to be in progress. Therefore we do not know if the disobstruction has actually been completed and we will try to discover it. On the basis of these data, we are going to investigate to disclose how the works were carried out and if they brought good results which will be sustainable in the future, since we are aware of the relevance of the River for the territory of Licata.
Not everybody knows that the area of the River Salso's mouth has a vegetation characterized by reeds of Phragmites australis in association with glasswort (Salicornia glauca), Atriplex prostrata and various species of Cyperaceae, including the rare sea scirpo (Bolboschoenus maritimus). The area has a great ornithological value: in spring and autumn you can see the gray heron (Ardea cinerea), the little egret (Egretta garzetta), the black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), the great curlew ( Numenius arquata) and avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta). The presence of the mute swan, the black stork, the flamingos and the great white heron (Egretta alba) is sporadic. Waders, coots and seagulls are residents all year there.
The continuous obstructions are due to the fact that the gullies that are supposed to collect rainwater and convey it to the river are completely blocked by weeds, reeds and even trees and therefore they cannot perform their natural function. Because of the obstruction, when there are heavy rains, there is a risk of flooding. There have been a lot of floods over the years since the end of the XIX century. Documents record the flood in November 1915 when the wooden bridge fell down and about 100 people died. Other floods were in 1930, 1932, 1976, 1991. The most recent ones have frequently been registered since 2014. The last ones occurred in 2016, 2018, 2019 till December 2021.
In reference to the questions we asked at the beginning of our monitoring, we have found interesting information, but we haven't found anywhere the information about the conclusion of the works, We are planning to contact as soon as possible the people involved in the works and go onto the site to see what the current state of the river's mouth is. By using an amount of 400.000 euros there will be surely a lot of benefits and advantages both for the territory and for people. But we also aim to inform and raise awareness in Licata citizens about the value and the potential of the river Salso. The monitoring will be a way to learn more about our town and share our discoveries with its inhabitants.
