Environmental recovery of a quarry ATEg30 Pero

ATEg30 - quarry restoration
Area characterisation: 

This quarry is located in the municipality of Pero, located about 9 kilometers northwest of Milano. The extractive area occupied 28,40 ha for the cultivation of sand and gravel in the aquifer and it is possible to dig until maximum to 29 meters depth from ground level.

The area is connected with the city of Milano trough different levels of viability: the old provincial street, called “strada statale del sempione” (national street of the Sempione) and the recently build highways A4 Torino-Venezia; A8 –A9 Milano Laghi, freeway west, regional railway line S5, S6 and with the train station of Rho.

Objective: 

The project aims to transform an old quarry in a public park. The project foresees the renaturalization of the lakeshore, the realization of a peninsula, the filling of settling tanks created for the extraction activities and the realization weak slope in the nord sector that want connect the lake with the countryside.
Objectives are to create : 
• morphological arrangement of the slopes of embankments produced by the extractive area for the future public use
• laying turf
• vegetation reconstruction of marsh and riparian environment
• vegetation reconstruction of woods (forest), hedges and rows
• reconstruction of agricultural areas
• realization of foot and cycle paths for the fruition of citizens

Potential impacts/benefits: 
  • Macro scale mitigation by enhancing carbon storage and sequestration in vegetation and soil
  • Micro scale adaptation through planting vegetation to improve local climate through cooling, shading and shelter
  • Provide elements characterizing the heritage and aesthetics of the area
  • Provide social interaction and support healthy living
  • Air quality improvement
  • Noise reduction ecological restoration
NbS benefits 
  • Developing climate change adaptation; improving risk management and resilience
  • Reduce flood risk
  • Reducing temperature at meso or micro scale
  • Developing climate change mitigation
  • Carbon sequestration and storage
  • Restoring ecosystems and their functions
  • Greater ecological connectivity across urban regenerated sites
  • Increase Biodiversity
  • Increase social interaction
Transferability of the result: 

Project that can be locally replicated, Data available

Lessons learned: 

The project foresees the renaturalization of the lakeshore, the realization of a peninsula on the occidental sector, the filling of settling tanks created for the extraction activities and the realization of an area with a weak slope in the nord sector that want connect the lake with the countryside.

There will be a lot of different habitats and there will be surely an environment benefit. Foot and cycle paths  for the fruition of citizens will be realized too. 

Financing: 

The cost of the  approved environment recovery project is 352.666,08 (without the operations made until yet). The quarryman finances the planning and the realization of the environment recovery project 

NbS classification 
  • Eco management plans

Further information