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| The Mattmark dam |
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Saas-Almagell |
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The biggest earth dam in Europe, the Mattmark dam, is located at the far end of the Saas Valley. The reservoir, which is used for producing electricity, is a favourite destination and is of interest not only for the technical details but also because of its picturesque location at the far end of the Saas Valley.
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In past times, the Allalin glacier stretched all the way down to the valley and thus formed a natural dam to block the Vispe river. The Gletscherrandsee (glacier borders lake) was born. Over the years, the Gletscherrandsee had repeatedly broken the confines of the dam and had devastated large parts of the Saas Valley.
In 1833, the government passed a credit of 200 Swiss Francs to build a channel to level-adjust the Mattmark lake. Since then, the glacier has retreated from the valley.
Already in 1920, engineers checked out the Mattmark region for possible electricity production, and since the 1950s the Lake of Mattmark has been used for electricity.
The largest building of the plant is the earth dam which closes the region of Mattmark in the North and creates a vast water basin. The dam is mainly made of morain rubble that was taken from the near surroundings. To seal the dam grounds, a vertical injection screen has been installed in the core of the dam, reaching down to the solid rock.
The dam is monitored by a vast array of equipment to make sure that possible irregularities will be found early. |
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Contact Information
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The lake, formed by the dam, has a volume of 100 Mio m3. Its surface ranges over 1.76 km2, its length 3.2 km; the highest point is on 2,197 m above sea level.
One channel per side of the valley, one from the left, one from the right, deliver water from different streams (being linked to the Saaservispe below the dam) to the basin. These channels widen the natural catchment area of the basin from 37.1 km2 to a total of 88.2 km2, almost half of the area is covered by glaciers. The catchment on average delivers 110 Mio m3 of water in summer and 12 Mio m3 in winter.
There is a tarred road up to the top of the dam (only open in summer, regular bus connections). You can hike around the lake in 2,5 hours. The power station at Zermeiggern (outside Saas-Almagell) can be visited every Tuesday in summer. |
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InfoBox
NEW: Mattmark info cinema The construction of the world?s largest natural dam has shaped the Saas Valley. At the Mattmark Dam Info Cinema visitors can now go on a journey through time to see the history of the Mattmark. This includes a 20 minute documentary film, historic milestones on the crest off of the dam, a water management game and, last but not least, the latest output figures for the Mattmark power station. Information: tourist office Saas-Almagell,
tel. +41 27 958 66 44.
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