Cingino Dam

Cingino Dam
Alpine Ibex goats on the wall
Location of Cingino Dam in Italy
Official nameDiga del Cingino
CountryItaly
LocationAntrona Schieranco, Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont
Coordinates46°1′49″N 8°2′17″E / 46.03028°N 8.03806°E / 46.03028; 8.03806
Construction began1925[1]: 2 
Opening date1930[1]: 2 
Dam and spillways
Type of damGravity, masonry[1]: 2 
Height46 metres (151 ft) (by D.L. 08/08/1994 definition)[1]
51 metres (167 ft) (by D.M. 24/03/1982 definition)[1]
Width (crest)152 metres (499 ft)[1]

The Cingino Dam is a gravity masonry dam located 7 kilometres (4 mi) southwest of Antrona Schieranco, Valle Antrona, Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in Piedmont, Italy. The dam creates Lago Cingino (or Cingino reservoir) which is fed by the Antigine and Troncone streams.[2] The reservoir has a surface area of 0.14 square kilometres (0.1 sq mi) and is maximum 2,262 metres (7,421 ft) above sea level,[3] typically 2,250 metres (7,382 ft).[4] It is one of five reservoirs within a hydroelectric complex in the Valle Antrona and helps supply the Campliccioli Power Plant with water for power production.[2]

The dam became an internet sensation due to pictures of Alpine Ibex that climb up its steep downstream face in order to lick salt off the stones.[5] A video shared by the BBC's Forces of Nature with Brian Cox has been viewed over 208 million times as of May 2022.[6] Despite the picturesque setting, Atlas Obscura describes the dam as "otherwise unremarkable."[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Studio del ruolo dei bacini artificiali nella formazione delle piene - Diga di Lago Cingino" (PDF). FOCA (Italian FlOod and Catchment Atlas). p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-08-28.
  2. ^ a b "Dams and Power Plants of the Antrona Valley". Municipality of Antrona Schieranco. Archived from the original on 2021-09-18. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  3. ^ "Cingino". LIMNO Banca dati dei laghi italiani (in Italian). National Research Council (Italy). Archived from the original on 2019-12-06. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  4. ^ "Dams and Power Plants of the Antrona Valley - cartina" (pdf). Municipality of Antrona Schieranco. 2017-03-06. Archived from the original on 2021-09-18. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  5. ^ Dell'Amore, Christine (2010-11-01). ""Mind-Boggling" Pictures: Goats Scale Dam in Italy". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  6. ^ "The incredible ibex defies gravity and climbs a dam". BBC. 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2021-02-13 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "Goats of the Cinigo Dam". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2021-02-17.