Lac d'Emosson

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Lac d'Emosson
Lac d'Emosson -
Lac d'Emosson - Map
Map
Location Valais, Switzerland
Coordinates 46°4′18″N, 6°55′10″ECoordinates: 46°4′18″N, 6°55′10″E
Lake type reservoir
Primary outflows Barberine
Catchment area 34.91 km²
Basin countries Switzerland, France
Surface area 3.27 km²
Max. depth 161 m
Water volume 227 mio m³
Surface elevation 1,930 m

Lac d'Emosson is a reservoir in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is located in the municipalities of Salvan and Finhaut. The closest major city in Switzerland is Martigny. The lake has a surface area of 3.27 km² and an elevation of 1,930 m. The maximum depth is 161 m.

The first dam of Emosson (also known as Barberine Dam) was built in 1925. The current dam with a height of 180 m was completed in 1974 and floods the old dam. It increased the reservoir's volume from 40 mio m³ to 227 mio m³. The old dam can still be seen when the water level in the Lac d'Emosson is very low.

To reach the dam a funicular railway is used, which is the steepest 2-cabin funicular railway in the world with a gradient of 87 percent[1][2].

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Le Châtelard Funicular (1920), the steepest in the world with 2 carriages (87%) : Characteristics
  2. ^ Funimag: Funiculaire Minifunic

[edit] External links