Polla

I share a factlet which caught my eye at reference 1, to wit, a freshwater spring under the sea, off  the coast at La Spezia. Known as La Polla. A spring which was captured at some point for the use of sailors in the bay.

It seems that there is lots of freshwater available under the sea, on continental shelves, some of it artesian. Much interest in places like the Persian Gulf. Much concern as it is mostly a fossil resource, once drunk never renewed.

A niche interest of Nymphéa Environnement, part of the Vinci family of companies at reference 4. An outfit mainly interested in pipelines under the sea.

Reference 1: Cook's Traveller's Handbook to the Rivieras of France & Italy - 1927. Page 297.

Reference 2: Bradshaw's illustrated hand-book to Italy, Volume 17 - 1865. Google ebooks. A slightly earlier version of the Cook's Handbook and the source of the illustration above.

Reference 3: La polla d'acqua dolce di Cadimare nel Golfo della Spezia - Fabio Rolla. Appears to be all about it; sadly in Italian. I thought Microsoft was going to have a bash at translating it, but it didn't.

Reference 4: https://www.vinci.com/vinci.nsf/en/index.htm.

Reference 5: http://climatecontrolme.com/2012/02/fresh-water-sea/. 'Becker points out that for hundreds of years, sailors have known about freshwater springs at sea. Now, divers and fishermen also know where they can be found. The teams at Nymphéa Environnement carry out local surveys to gather this information'. And: 'New technology to tap sub-marine springs. The Middle East holds potential, says Nymphéa Environnement, which exhibited the concept at WFES 2012. Claiming it to be a new technology to harvest fresh water from the sub-marine springs in the sea, Nymphéa Environnement, a French company, participated in the WFES, held from January 16 to 19 in Abu Dhabi. The company further claimed that the water obtained was three to six times cheaper than the water from desalination plants'.