Moldeelva

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Moldeelva
Origin	Moldevatnet
Mouth	Moldefjord
Basin countries	Norway

Moldeelva (Molde River) runs through the city of Molde, Norway, from Moldevatnet (Lake Molde) through Moldedalen (Molde Valley), and flows into Moldefjord to the south.

The river is crossed by several bridges, and is dammed north of the city to form a reserve reservoir.

Although the river is minor and seasonal, there were several sawmills along it in the 16 and 1700s. This gave rise to the city itself through a combination of a good harbour, proximity to the sea routes, vast timber resources, and a river capable of supporting mills.

In 1909 the river also housed the first hydro electric power plant capable of providing sufficient electricity to the city. The upper reaches of the river still provides drinking water for most of the city.

During the reconstruction after the fire of 1916, its lower course and the estuary was regulated.