Alpbach Digs A Lake

Work for the new € 4m Jochanger reservoir situated between Alpbach und Reith started in autumn 2006. The reservoir covers an area of approximately 2.5 hectares including the embankment, and can hold 130,000 m of water which, using natural pressure rather than high energy using compressors as is normally the case, will serve 100 percent of the snowmaking equipment in Reith and 50 percent of the equipment in Alpbach. Ten km of new pipelines measuring 20 to 30 cm in diameter were laid and a new pumping station for the water supply to the snowmaking machines in the higher lying pistes of the Wiedersbergerhorn ski area was built, in addition to the existing snowmaking pipelines. Great care was taken during the reservoir construction work to create a near-natural environment.