The autonomous province of Bolzano is located in northern Italy and shares a boundary with Austria. With a surface of 7,400 square kilometers, Bolzano is mainly mountainous, its elevation ranging from 200 to more than 3,800 meters above sea level (ASL). Notably, a conspicuous 37 percent of the province's surface has an elevation of more than 2,000 meters ASL, with another 49 percent of the surface between 1,000 and 2,000 meters ASL. Urbanized and agricultural areas are therefore restricted to the valley floor along the main water streams. In the last 30 years, human activities in these areas have greatly increased; thus, so has the demand for hydraulic structures.