__NOTOC__ Lai da Sontga Maria (Italian: ''Lago di Santa Maria'') 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 ...

, located north of the Lukmanier Pass in Switzerland. It lies almost entirely in the municipality of Medel (canton of Graubünden), a tiny fraction of the south-west part of the lake belonging to the municipalities of Quinto and

Blenio Blenio is a municipality of the district of Blenio, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. Blenio was created on 22 October 2006 when it incorporated the formerly autonomous municipalities of Aquila, Campo Blenio, Ghirone, Olivone and Torre o ...

(canton of

Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...

). The

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 ...

has a surface area is . The

arch dam An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengthe ...

Santa Maria, which is to the north of the lake, was completed in 1968. The main road of the Lukmanier Pass runs along the eastern shore of the lake. The lake lies at a height of 1,908 metres above sea level and is surrounded by mountains over 3,000 metres on both sides. The highest peak overlooking Lai da Sontga Maria is the

Scopi The Scopi is a 3,190-metre-high mountain in the Lepontine Alps, overlooking Lukmanier Pass on the border between the cantons of Ticino and Graubünden. A cable car (not accessible to public) connects the summit from the road of Lukmanier Pass ...

(3,190 m), on the east side. On the west side are

Piz Gannaretsch Piz Gannaretsch is a mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited ...

(3,040 m) and Piz Rondadura (3,016 m). On the south side (in Ticino), the lake is overlooked by

Pizzo dell'Uomo Pizzo dell'Uomo is a mountain of the Lepontine Alps and part of the extended Saint-Gotthard Massif, located between Lai da Sontga Maria and Pizzo del Sole, in the canton of Ticino, just southwest of the Passo del Lucomagno. The border with the ...

(2,663 m). The lake is drained by the Rein da Medel, a tributary of the

Anterior Rhine The Vorderrhein (German; English: ''Anterior Rhine''; Sursilvan: ; Sutsilvan: ''Ragn Anteriur''; Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader, and Puter: ''Rain Anteriur''; Surmiran: ''Ragn anteriour'') is one of the two sources of the Rhine. Its catchment are ...

. Swisstopo topographic maps In the lake, there is an anchor pylon of Lukmanier Powerline. Lai da Sontga Maria GR-CH ksozog

References

* Swisstopo topographic maps

External links

* Sontga Maria Sontga Maria Medel (Lucmagn) Sontga Maria Graubünden–Ticino border LLaidaSontgaMaria {{Ticino-lake-stub

See also

References

External links