Lago di Lei (
Lombard: ''Lach de Lei'') is a
reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
in the
Valle di Lei, powering the Hinterrhein
storage power stations. The reservoir is almost entirely in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, but the barrage was built on territory ceded by Italy to
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
(municipality of
Ferrera,
Grisons
The Grisons (; ) or Graubünden (),Names include:
* ;
*Romansh language, Romansh:
**
**
**
**
**
**;
* ;
* ;
* .
See also list of European regions with alternative names#G, other names. more formally the Canton of the Grisons or the Canton ...
) in 1955 after diplomatic talks, while an equivalent sized territory further north of the lake was ceded to Italy in the exchange.
The dam is operated by
Kraftwerke Hinterrhein.
The waters of the lake are the only waters in Italian territory that drain to the North Sea, being part of the Rhine's drainage basin. Other waters of Italy that do not flow to the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
are found in the valley of
Livigno, valley of
Sexten,
Puster Valley east of
Innichen, and most of the waters of the municipality of
Tarvisio east of Sella Nevea: all these waters flow to the Black Sea through the basin of the Danube.
See also
*
List of lakes of Switzerland
*
List of mountain lakes of Switzerland
References
External links
Hinterrhein storage power stationsKraftwerke Hinterrhein increase efficiency thanks to modern technology article about renovation of power plant that included drainage of the Lago di Lei reservoir.
*
*
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ttp://www.khr.ch/portrait/anlagen/valle-di-lei.html&lang=2 KHR: ''Valle di Lei: il Reno è anche un po' italiano''
Lei
Lei
Lei
Lei
Lei
Province of Sondrio
Italy–Switzerland border
Lei
Ferrera
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