Akua Granda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Akua Granda (also spelled Aqua Granda) is the ancient name of Livigno's main river. It is now also called Spöl, although this name designates the river after it crosses the Swiss border.
Despite being in Italy, Akua Granda is a tributary of the Inn, and the Danube, and not of the Po river. In other words, this valley is on the northern side of the Alps' watershed. In this area geographical and political boundaries do not coincide.
Due to an international treaty, an artificial lake was created by the Swiss company Engadiner Kraftwerke, www.engadin-strom.ch in the 1960s, with a dam on the border. This caused the flooding of part of the ancient village of Livigno. Despite indemnisation, not all inhabitants were willing to leave this part of the valley.
Nowadays the lake has a capacity of 164 million m³ (approx. 215 million cubic yards). Its minimum and maximum water levels above sea level are at 1,700 metres (5,577 ft)and 1,805 metres (5,922 ft) respectively. Since its building, this lake had been off-limits for any activity, such as wind-surfing or rowing, until the summer of 2005, when Italy's National Rowing team was authorized to train on the lake. For the benefits of Altitude training please visit the relevant entry.
The same international treaty allowed another electricity company, AEM (www.aem.it) to catch the waters of Akua Granda and other tributaries above a certain altitude and to transport it through a tunnel to the artificial lakes of Cancano, in Val Fraele, on the other side of the watershed. This has decreased the water level on the river dramatically, with some parts of it left without water, causing strong but ineffective protests by the local population.
Nowadays this river is popular for fishing, virtually the only other use which can be made out of it.
