THE RIDRACOLI DAM

A MONUMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT, AN EXTRAORDINARY WORK OF ENGINEERING

Lake Ridracoli and its namesake dam lie between the municipalities of Bagno di Romagna and Santa Sofia (Forlì-Cesena), in the heart of one of Italy’s most enchanting natural landscapes: the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona and Campigna National Park – one of the country’s 25 protected areas.

An extraordinary feat of human ingenuity, the Ridracoli Dam is an “arch-gravity” structure, designed to withstand water pressure through both its curved shape and its own immense weight.
A Response to a Growing Need
In the 1950s, industrial development and increasingly intensive agriculture led to a dramatic rise in groundwater extraction, which in turn caused seawater intrusion into underground aquifers. Before the situation became critical, a new and sustainable water source was urgently needed.

The solution for a thirsty Romagna came with the idea of creating a large surface-water reservoir along the upper course of the Bidente River. Research confirmed that the area offered ideal conditions: optimal morphology and geology, high natural impermeability, pristine water, absence of pollution sources and settlements, and extensive forest cover to minimise sedimentation.
Building a Vision
In 1975, after 13 years of studies, the Water Consortium for the Provinces of Forlì and Ravenna began construction of the Ridracoli Dam, thanks to initial funding entirely provided by the Emilia-Romagna Region and the member municipalities. The works were carried out by Cogefar S.p.A., Lodigiani S.p.A. and Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti of Ravenna.

Completed in 1982, the project required nearly 600 billion lire, 3,700,000 man-hours and up to 500 workers a day, operating in three 8-hour shifts. In 1988, drinking water from Ridracoli began flowing to homes across the Romagna region.

Why Ridracoli?

The site was selected for a combination of exceptional advantages:

• central position within the area to be served
• highly favourable geology and morphology
• impermeable terrain
• absence of settlements and infrastructure in the reservoir zone
• clean, high-quality water suitable for drinking
• extensive forest cover limiting sediment build-up
• no pollution sources
  
  

THE NUMBERS:

• Height: 103.5 m
• Length: 432 m
• Thickness at base: 36 m
• Thickness at crest: 10 m
• Total reservoir volume (1982): 33.06 × 10 m³
• Concrete volume: 600,000 m³
• Water surface area: 1.035 km²
• Rapid emptying time: 42.6 hours
• Normal maximum retention level: 557.30 m a.s.l.
• Minimum reservoir level: 512.20 m a.s.l. (Lowest level ever recorded: 27 December 1994) a dramatic 45.10 m below the normal capacity line.

A Vital Resource for the Romagna region

The primary purpose of the dam is to supply drinking water to the local area. Water comes from a network of both surface and underground sources distributed across the provinces, with the Romagna Aqueduct stretching for over 600 km.

The Ridracoli Dam remains the most important water source, both historically and in terms of supply volume.

Water as a Public Good

Here water is public and managed by the mayors through their company, Romagna Acque – Società delle Fonti S.p.A., ensuring access to safe drinking water for all.

> CLICK HERE TO SEE A MAP OF THE LAKE AND ITS SERVICES