Effort Underway to Revive the Pergolana-Pioppi Pipeline in Lake Garda

Towards an agreement to make the «Pergolana-Pioppi», the sublacual pipeline from Lazise to Peschiera, operational again. The pipeline has been abandoned for years because it is unusable on the lakebed. This infrastructure was built in the early nineties at a cost of around fifteen billion lire, but was declared at the time as untraceable and therefore unusable.

Thus, the structure has long been at the center of a dispute between the Azienda Gardesana Servizi and those who built it, the consortium Fondedile – which was incorporated into Icla of Naples after being considered at high mafia risk – and Boscolo & Tiozzo.

Controversies and Judicial Intervention

A series of complaints and counter-complaints, blame-shifting, appeals to an arbitration panel with rulings termed as “scandalous,” have led to the precautionary seizure of assets. After years of paperwork and legal proceedings involving lawyers and magistrates, there appears to be a growing desire for a complete settlement with the construction company.

The same company is reportedly committed to making the pipeline operational within the next year to avoid returning approximately ten billion to the Azienda Gardesana Servizi di Peschiera.

Current Situation and Future Perspectives

The situation remains complex, as it involves calculating damages caused by the delayed operation of the work and disputing the fees charged to engineer Luciano Mascellani, who was the project director at the time. A comprehensive review of the entire case is also underway, in the hands of the Tribunale di Verona.

Likely timelines are short, with the settlement expected to be finalized by June.