THERMAL SPA WATER DISCOVERY FOR THE MUNICIPALITY OF VALDIERI

In 2018 came official confirmation of the great success achieved by the company Luni Ricerche, now

ALEXANDRA sas regarding the thermal discovery in the Plain of Valdieri Municipality, a project funded by the

Piedmont Region, which entrusted the Polytechnic University of Turin with scientific supervision.

All documents and the scientific report of the Polytechnic of Turin, are available at the same institution.

The Thermal investigation by Maurizio Armanetti, President of Luni Ricerche, now CEO of ALEXANDRA sas, was fully successful with more than 99% success rate both for the discovery of the precious Thermal water and for the precise identification of the water table depths and the thermal water temperatures at the various depths.

In 2013, following a meeting with then-mayor Emanuel Parracone, Luni Ricerche srl was commissioned by the Mountain Community to develop a Feasibility Project* for thermal research in the Valdieri Plain.

The area, considered ideal for thermal tourism development, had been indicated by the Mountain Community and the Municipality of

Valdieri as an area of potential interest.

Making use of its unique method, called Quantumestesia  which boasts a success rate of more than 99 percent,

Luni Ricerche srl conducted a preliminary thermal research, identifying the area as positive for the presence of a

valuable thermal aquifer. The company provided a detailed report that included precise indications of the depths to be

to be reached, the temperatures of the thermal aquifer at different elevations, and a preliminary estimate of the flow rate.

The Feasibility Project consists of an exclusive technical service designed to identify, through a thorough preliminary investigation, the location of new thermal water resources. Technical investigations to identify possible thermal aquifers are targeted to the specific area indicated by the developer.

Upon completion of the analysis, a detailed report containing a forecast stratigraphy and essential technical data to support strategic and business decisions is delivered to the user. The data provided, excluding point staking, are the result of thorough preliminary research and include:

- Analysis in the areas indicated by the user in order to verify the possible presence of valuable thermal aquifers

- Depths of thermal aquifers

- Indicative temperatures at the various depths of the thermal waters.

- Indicative flow rate of the thermal aquifer. 

Following the report of Luni Ricerche, which highlighted the presence of thermal water tables in the Valdieri Plain, considered ideal for thermal tourism development due in part to its landscaping, the municipality issued a call for bids with a specific clause:

the drilling company would have to guarantee the success of the well, under penalty of non-payment in case of a negative outcome (no thermal water).

The call for bids was won by a drilling company that, instead of turning to Luni Ricerche srl to complete the thermal research and locate the exact spot for the drilling, consulted a large company of geologists from Siena, S.G.G., to conduct further scientific investigations.

After three months of studies, S.G.G. negatively evaluated the area confirmed as thermal by Luni Ricerche and indicated a different area, moving about 1 km away from the area initially suggested.

According to S.G.G. geologists, their scientific analyses showed that the area indicated by Luni Ricerche was not suitable for thermal catchment. Consequently, they decided to move the drilling point away from the area that the municipality itself considered optimal for thermal tourism development.

Luni Ricerche sent a registered letter to the municipality of Valdieri disputing S.G.G.'s conclusions, claiming that drilling at the spot indicated by the latter would lead to total failure, without finding thermal water.

"I will preface this by saying that, according to my research (outside the fence) pushed to a depth of about 1300 meters, the

drilling underway in Valdieri (company Nigro Group Srl) for the discovery of hot thermal waters will yield NEGATIVE results,

because it is drilling in the wrong area.

Negative with regard to the discovery, as per the initial project (see attached Feasibility Project for Research

Thermal Valdieri), of a thermal water as today's market requires, rich in minerals (over 1000 mg) and with a

temperature above 37°C (suitable for indoor and outdoor pools, even in winter, for deseasonalized tourism,

year-round).

The water that will be found will have a predominance of common water, with temperature in emunition between

20°C to 30°C, low in minerals (oligomineral), although 'contaminated' in its course by thermal water."

Drilling carried out according to the S.G.G.'s instructions reached a depth of about 800 meters, but was

with a total failure: no thermal water was found in accordance with the project. The water found turned out to be mostly common, with characteristics unsuitable for thermal tourism development.

The failure of the well drilled on the instructions of S.G.G. threatened to jeopardize the entire spa project and the tourism dreams of the municipality of Valdieri, even jeopardizing funding from the Piedmont Region.

The situation was saved in extremis thanks to a new assignment given to Luni Ricerche, which resumed investigations in the area initially identified.

Drilling at the point indicated by Luni Ricerche, at a depth of only 380 meters, excellent thermal water was found, with temperature and flow rate perfectly corresponding to the initial predictions.

This extraordinary success made it possible to recover the thermal project and to revive the tourism prospects of the Valdieri Plain. In practice, Maurizio Armanetti's predictions were accurate both in the thermal discovery and in predicting where the thermal water was not, in the Geologists' failed well.

The geologists failed resoundingly 2 times, the first time stating that there was no thermal water in the area chosen by the municipality and confirmed by Armanetti, and instead there the thermal discovery was a great success, and in determining a drilling point after a good 3 months of geological research totally failed.

Pz 1 : Well excavated on directions from S.G.G.

Pz 2 : Well excavated on indications of Luni Ricerche srl

Photo 1 (left): Maurizio Armanetti illustrates the success of Luni Ricerche srl in the discovery of precious Thermal Water in the Valdieri Plain. Speakers at the uiciale presentation: the Mayor of Valdieri Gaiotti Giacomo Luigi, former Mayor Emanuel Parracone, representatives of the Piedmont Region, Mountain Community, Technicians (Geologist and Engineer Alberto Betaz, Engineer Paolo Cavaglià) ...

Photo 2 (right): (from right to left) Mayor of Valdieri Gaiotti Giacomo Luigi, Eng. Paolo Cavaglià, Owner of Nigro Group srl and exponents of the Piedmont Region presenting the positive result of the thermal research of well 2 in the Valdieri Plain and future urban developments.