The waters in the Chiese Valley
The power of waterThe Chiese River begins in the hanging glaciers of the Fumo Valley in the Adamello group and, after about 50 kilometres, joins the Idro Lake.
Along with its tributaries, it has characterized the lives of the inhabitants of the villages that sprang up over the centuries along its banks. They have feared and suffered its floods and disastrous inundations but soon learned to live with the river. Farmers used its waters in irrigation channels while craftsmen used them for their energy.
The plantsDuring the 1950s, large hydroelectric plants in the Alps also involved all of the waters in the Chiese Valley, radically transforming the course of the river and profoundly affecting the economy, traditions and customs of entire populations.
Three primary plants, Boazzo, Cimego and Storo were built for energy production between 1788 and 390 metres above sea level, fed by three artificial lakes (Bissina, Boazzo and Ponte Morandino) with an overall storage capacity of approximately 72,380,000 cubic metres.
