**5. Conclusions**

The water balance of Lake Candia revealed a very important influence of direct rainfall on the lake and subsequently of different typologies of entrance (runoff from rainfall and irrigation), whereas the groundwater resource seems to have minor importance even if with a significant increasing trend of its importance. Although the variation of lake volume was affected by direct rainfall and surface water inflow, the effect of groundwater has to be carefully considered to support predictive management of the water resource.

The relationship between meteorological variables and the hydrogeological cycle are clear and their trends also known. On the contrary, the actual trends in groundwater are difficult to determine, especially regarding quantities and timing of events, particularly in the absence of measures of permeability, porosity, storage coefficient, and the effective value of exchanges between the different aquifers present in the catchment. Furthermore, the fact that the territory surrounding the lake is used for agriculture increases the need for surface water and groundwater. For these reasons, a more detailed evaluation of the dynamics of the groundwater is a priority, both for the correct management of water resources in general, and for greater protection of the Lake Candia ecosystem.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, M.C., C.D. and H.S.; methodology, M.C. and H.S.; software, M.C.; validation, M.C., C.D. and H.S.; formal analysis, M.C.; investigation, M.C.; data curation, M.C. and C.D.; writing—original draft preparation, M.C.; writing—review and editing, C.D. and H.S.; visualization, M.C., C.D. and H.S.; supervision, M.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Data Availability Statement:** Data used for the analyses are available at the following links: http:// www.arpa.piemonte.it/rischinaturali/accesso-ai-dati/annali\_meteoidrologici/annali-meteo-idro/b anca-dati-meteorologica.html, http://www.arpa.piemonte.it/rischinaturali/accesso-ai-dati/anna li\_meteoidrologici/annali-meteo-idro/banca-dati-idrologica.html, accessed date 2 November 2021.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors thank the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their useful comments, which substantially improved the manuscript.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
