Puglia, with its nearly 20,000 square kilometers between the Adriatic and the Ionian seas, is divided between sky, sea, and land. However, the nature of the soil and subsoil does not allow for water accumulation or reserves. Neither the solid limestone nor the porous karst are capable of retaining water that seeps downwards, concentrating at great depths where it meets brackish and marine waters.
Already in the 1800s, chronicles tell of epidemics, infant mortality, and a high number of deaths caused by the scarcity of clean water. For the new Italian state, the lack of water quickly became one of the first major national emergencies.
1868
The Province of Foggia issued a tender for a water conduit project in the area, and several professionals submitted their designs. Among them was Camillo Rosalba, an engineer who proposed a brilliant idea: to divert water from the springs of Caposele through a large tunnel to Conza to cross the Tyrrhenian watershed and a canal along the bank of the Ofanto river towards Andria, then onward to Corato, Ruvo, Bitonto, and all the way to Brindisi. However, his project was not selected.
1896
A Commission was appointed to study issues related to potable water, in particular for the Acquedotto Pugliese. The Royal Decree from the Minister of Public Works on May 19, 1896, was the first official act in which the state intervened in the water supply of Puglia. The deputy Matteo Renato Imbriani was the driving force behind the battle to quench Puglia's thirst.
1898
A law was issued to authorize the study of a technical project for the provision of potable water throughout Puglia. A Royal Decree established a special office of the Civil Engineering Corps in Avellino for the study and drafting of the Acquedotto Pugliese project.
1902
The Commission gave way to a Consortium between the State and the three provinces of Bari, Foggia, and Lecce, which was entrusted with the task of construction, maintenance, and constant operation of the Acquedotto Pugliese. The law, in setting the water sale price, adjusted it according to the "degree of importance of each municipality" and set a reduced rate for water "from public fountains and intended for sanitary uses."
1903
The first call for bids was published, but the tender was unsuccessful; the following year, a second international tender was announced, with participation from Italian and European companies. However, it was the "Società anonima italiana Ercole Antico e soci, concessionaire of the Acquedotto Pugliese," that won the contract, for an amount of 125 million. The contract was signed in July 1905.
1904
An international tender was held, and it was the "Società anonima italiana Ercole Antico e soci, concessionaire of the Acquedotto Pugliese," that won the contract in July 1905.
1906
The first Board of Directors of the Consortium for the Acquedotto Pugliese was established, chaired by President Giuseppe Pavoncelli. Work began at the Madonna della Sanità springs in Caposele for the excavation of the great Apennine tunnel and the capture works.
1914
Since 1906, the Ercole Antico e Soci Company had been managing the work, however they were unable to fulfill the contract. The company only managed to complete the structure of the Main Canal and the tunnels crossing the Apennine and Murge regions.
1915
Water reached Bari on April 24, 1915, and in the same year, it also reached twenty-seven other municipalities in the province. In 1916, six more municipalities and the city of Taranto were added. The events of World War I halted further work, leading to delays and debts. The State decided to intervene by canceling the agreement in 1919.
1918
Water reached Brindisi. The municipalities in Puglia were characterized by streets, squares, and public spaces made of compacted earth; in most cases, water was only available from public fountains; sewers were unknown: there were only temporary pits, cesspits, and tanker trucks responsible for collecting urban waste.
1920
The Royal Decree No. 2060 of 1919, converted into Law on September 23, 1920, No. 1365, established an "Autonomous Entity for the Construction, Maintenance, and Operation of the Apulian Aqueduct ," in Bari and set out its regulations. The Entity received a contribution of 90 million and another of 68 million, categorized under "extraordinary public works" to be charged to the budget of the Ministry of Public Works. In addition to the simple prerogatives of construction, maintenance, and perpetual operation of the Acquedotto Pugliese, the following were added:
● Construction of internal pipelines;
● Completion of reforestation works in the Sele basin;
● Maintenance of such works;
● Construction of sewer systems;
● Connection of public buildings to water and sewer pipelines;
● Coordination of regulatory plans with the construction and operation needs of water and sewer pipelines; irrigation works;
● Construction of social housing and rural villages;
● Sanitation of unhealthy neighborhoods and dwellings.
1924
This year marks the beginning of water supply to Foggia
1926
The water supply to the province of Foggia was completed over thirteen years. The decade between 1931 and 1941 focused on the "general completion" of suburban and urban branches and sub-branches. Following the construction of the "Great Lecce Siphon" in 1927, water reached the city of Lecce. Between the years 1931 and 1939, the municipalities of northern Gargano, along with those in Salento, also saw their water pipelines come into operation.
1938
With the decree-law of August, the construction and management of sewer systems in the municipalities served by the aqueduct were entrusted to the Autonomous Entity Acquedotto Pugliese.
1939
The project was completed just on the eve of World War II, with the completion of the terminal works at Santa Maria di Leuca. Here, a spectacular waterfall was created.
1942
The government entrusted the Autonomous Entity Apulian Aqueduct (E.A.A.P.) with the completion and management of the water and sewer network of Lucania, activating the Agri, Basento, and Caramola Aqueducts, along with smaller municipal aqueducts, within a year. In 1946, a fund was allocated to provide for the connection works of the Francesca springs near Atella, in the Vulture area, and to proceed with drilling and the utilization of the waters from the karst aquifer in the areas of Brindisi, Galugnano (LE), and Foggia.
1947
By decree-law of the provisional head of state, a state contribution was granted to the E.A.A.P. for the construction of the Alta Irpinia aqueduct.
1949
With the law of August 3, 1949, no. 589, the Tupini Law, the state granted municipalities contributions for the execution of public works, particularly aqueducts and sewer systems. The measure gave a significant boost to the construction and expansion of networks, activities for which the municipalities used the E.A.A.P. as the executing body right from the design phase.
1950
The Cassa per il Mezzogiorno, also known as the Fund for Extraordinary Public Works of Southern Italy (Law August 10, 1950, no. 646), was established, serving as an intermediary for state funding in favor of the E.A.A.P.
1963
Law no. 29 of February 4, 1963, called the "General Regulatory Plan," delegated to the government the task of issuing implementation regulations, established that the entire territory of the state was to be subjected to a predictive investigation on the needs and costs of water networks and the disposal of organic sewage for the fifty years from 1963 to 2013.
1967
A decree was issued containing the General Regulatory Plan for Italy's Aqueducts. It specified the necessary water sources to be reserved for meeting the needs of the served populations. For Puglia, the use of surface waters impounded from Pertusillo, Fortore, Sinni, Locone, and Conza was planned.
1972
In conjunction with the emergency following the cholera epidemic, a comprehensive program was initiated to construct new wastewater treatment plants throughout the region.
1974
The first section of the Pertusillo aqueduct, the most important pressurized aqueduct in Italy, was put into operation. It served the provinces of Bari, Taranto, and Lecce. The Fortore aqueduct was also put into operation, solving the water supply problems of Capitanata.
1986
In February, the water purification plant of the Sinni River in Laterza became operational, with a treatment capacity of 6 cubic meters per second, making it one of the largest in Europe.
1990
The Montalbano Jonico water purification plant became operational for supplying water to the municipalities of the Metapontino coast.
1998
The Locone aqueduct began operation, and its waters, purified by the same-named plant, were directed towards a vast area of northern Bari.
1999
In May, a legislative decree published in the Official Gazette formalized the transformation of the Autonomous Entity Acquedotto Pugliese into a joint-stock company. From now on, it would be called Acquedotto Pugliese S.p.A., with a single shareholder.
2002
With the financial law, the entire stock package of Acquedotto Pugliese S.p.A. was transferred for free by the Ministry of Economy and Finance to the Regions of Puglia and Basilicata. On September 30, 2002, the Agreement was signed, entrusting AQP with the management of the integrated water service for Puglia until December 31, 2018. In December, the Territorial Basin Authority for Puglia (AATO Puglia) was established, which performed functions of direction and control over the activities carried out by AQP as the service manager.
2004
On April 30, 2004, an agreement was signed to transfer the management of the integrated water service for Basilicata from AQP to Acquedotto Lucano.
2009
In Villa Castelli, AQP restored and reactivated one of the most important hydroelectric plants in Puglia. Additionally, the new Locone aqueduct was inaugurated.
2010
ASECO, a leading composting company in the production of high-quality natural fertilizers, was acquired. "Terra di Puglia" and "Pura Terra" are virtuous products that transform waste from a cost into an economic opportunity and enhance the good practices of separate waste collection and saving.
2011
The bio-phytoremediation plant in Melendugno (LE), the largest in Italy, started operations, ranking first at the national "Planet Water 2011" award.
2012
In July, the new Conza water purification plant was inaugurated, and the historic agreement with the Municipality of Caposele was renewed, which regulated the capture of water from the Sanità springs.
2015
The monumental waterfall of Santa Maria di Leuca was equipped with striking artistic lighting.
2019 - today
The year 2019 marks an important anniversary: one hundred years of public water. In 1919, the E.A.A.P. was established. Acquedotto Pugliese celebrated the event with various cultural initiatives and received the Medal of Representation from the President of the Republic.
In 2021, leading this ever-growing reality is Domenico Laforgia, serving as President along with the Board of Directors composed of Francesco Crudele, Tina De Francesco, Rossella Falcone, Lucio Lonoce. Francesca Portincasa is the General Director.