Lake Garda Water Levels Regulation Commission to Be Established in Verona
The battle over managing the water levels of the lake could finally come to an end. After the foundational act at the end of January, tomorrow morning at 11 a.m., in the Sala dei Palazzi Scaligeri, at the Province’s headquarters in Verona, the Commission for the regulation of Lake Garda’s water levels will be established, coordinated by the Autorità di Bacino del Fiume Po.
The Commission will be composed of 11 members: a representative from the Ministry of Public Works, one from the Autorità di Bacino del Fiume Adige, one from the Regione Lombardia, one from Veneto, one from the Provincia Autonoma di Trento, and one each from the other involved provinces: Verona, Brescia, and Mantova.
The working group will also include a member representing the municipalities along the lake shores of Verona and a representative from those in Lombardy, persons chosen directly by the Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani. For the Riviera degli Olivi, the ANCI (National Association of Italian Municipalities) delegated the task to Senator from the Lega Nord, and deputy mayor of Peschiera, Umberto Chincarini.
Responsibilities and system management
The 11 officials appointed by the entities legally responsible for Garda will be tasked with bringing order to the complex system of competencies overseeing Italy’s largest lake. In particular, the key issue to resolve is the management of the Salionze dam, of strategic importance to the entire Benàco basin.
The fate of Garda is interconnected with that of the Adige and the Po, as well as with the three lakes of Mantova and the Fissero Tartaro hydroviaduct. Furthermore, to the north, the Benàco receives water from the Sarca and from as many as 11 hydroelectric plants connected to this tributary.
The Mori-Torbole spillway, on the other hand, allows, when necessary, the discharging of the Adige into Garda. The management of the entire system connected to Garda thus depends on five bodies: the magistrate delle acque of Venice, the magistrate delle acque per il Po, the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano, and the Mincio Consortium.
The Enel can also intervene independently. Clearly, in this overlapping of responsibilities, the Salionze weir takes on a primary and indispensable role for the water levels of Benàco, for the use of Mincio waters for irrigation and industrial purposes, and for flood defense of the Mincio.
Role of the Commission and technical aspects
The Commission will need to examine the current management method of Lake Garda, paying particular attention to the effects of these rules on the lake’s water levels, water quality, and macrophite proliferation. Focus will also be given to the use of water resources by valley populations, the regulation of floods from the Sarca tributary, the hydraulic safety of Mantova city, the effects on the hydrological regime of the Po river, and the interconnections during floods with the basins of the Adige river and the Fissero Tartaro.
