Viddalsdammen (

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

for "The Viddal Dam") is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

and a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

Aurland Municipality Aurland () is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located on the south side of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Aurlandsvangen. Other villages include Bakka, ...

Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. The reservoir has an area of and the elevation varies between and above sea level. Viddalsdammen is located at the end of the Låvisdalen valley, about southeast of the village of

Aurlandsvangen Aurlandsvangen () is the administrative center of Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the east side of the Aurlandsfjorden (a branch of the main Sognefjorden) where the Aurlandselvi river flows into the fjo ...

, about southeast of the village of

Flåm Flåm is a village in the Flåmsdalen valley which is located at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjorden, a branch of Sognefjorden. The village is located in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. In 2014 its inhabitants numbered 350. ...

, and about northeast of

Myrdal Station Myrdal Station ( no, Myrdal stasjon) is a mountain railway station and junction, located on the Bergen Line regional mainline in Aurland, Vestland, Norway. The railway station is also the upper terminal of the Flåm Line local railway, which asce ...

. The reservoir was formed as part of the building of the Aurland Hydroelectric Power Station in the 1960s and 1970s when a rock-fill dam was built at the end of the lake Viddalsvatnet. After damming the level of Viddalsvatnet was raised to include the two upstream lakes Liverdalsvatnet and Fretheimsdalsvatnet, and they now form one long contiguous lake. Viddalsdammen receives water through an extensive system of water tunnels that extends around the entire Aurland valley.

References

Lakes of Vestland Aurland Reservoirs in Norway {{Vestland-geo-stub

See also

References