Valuing Groundwater Heritage: the Historic Wells of Kadıovacık

The consideration of the subject of water resources, seen as a part of cultural heritage, generally includes water-related architectural structures such as bridges, aqueducts, and cisterns. Groundwater resources and related structures, however, receive little attention as heritage assets, and they are mostly forgotten together with the valuable information they hold. In this sense, this study aims to provide an accurate assessment of groundwater heritage and to suggest proposals for conservation through the case of the historic wells of Kadıovacık village in the Urla district of İzmir. Although the region where the village is located is rich in groundwater resources, the residents have suffered from drought for ages due to the specific geological characteristics of the Kadıovacık polje. The limited amount of water resources in Kadıovacık village have karstic characteristics and have shaped the life and topography of the region. To access and harvest this limited groundwater, a group of wells had been constructed on the ridge of the hill. These wells have been idle since 1980s with the supply of city main water. In line with the aim, a comprehensive heritage valuation by an interdisciplinary group of experts is essential to reveal the significance of the relatively humble wells. Accordingly, a multi-method system is used, including historical, social, cultural, architectural, geological, hydrogeological, and environmental aspects. The results show that although the wells are generally considered to be less important as heritage assets in terms of their physical features, an in-depth evaluation demonstrates their high significance for the village community.