Lago Ritom is a lake in the Piora valley, Ticino, Switzerland. The natural lake is used as a reservoir by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS) to generate hydro-electric power for the Gotthard line. The first dam was built in 1918 and, in 1950, its height was increased by 23 m.
| Lago Ritom | |
|---|---|
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  Lago Ritom  Lago Ritom  Lago Ritom | |
| Location | Piora Valley, Ticino |
| Coordinates | 46°32′24″N 8°41′21″E / 46.54000°N 8.68917°E |
| Type | reservoir, natural lake |
| Basin countries | Switzerland |
| Surface area | 1.49 km2 (0.58 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 69 m (226 ft) |
| Water volume | 48 million cubic metres (39,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface elevation | 1,850 m (6,070 ft) |
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Overview edit
The lake's surface area is 1.49 km² at an elevation of 1850 m. With Lake Cadagno and Lago di Tom, it is one of the main lakes in the Piora valley.
Before being used as a reservoir, Lake Ritom was a meromictic lake similar to the nearby Lake Cadagno.
Transport edit
The lake can be reached by funicular from Piotta 786 m below. The track with a length of 1,369 m has a maximum inclination of 87.8%,[1] the highest in Europe after the Gelmerbahn funicular (106%).
See also edit
References edit
- ^ (in Italian) History of Ritom funicular
External links edit
- Lago Ritom Archived 2015-08-01 at the Wayback Machine - tourist information
- Ritom funicular (in Italian and German)
- Ritom's waters power the Gotthard Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
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