Storvatnet ("the big lake") is the biggest

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

Averøya Averøya is an island in Averøy Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located north of the Romsdal peninsula surrounded by the Kornstadfjorden on the west and the Kvernesfjorden on the south and east, and the Bremsnesfjorden ...

island in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located between the small urban areas of Bådalen and Bruhagen. Storvatnet has an area of 0,76 km² and its maximum width/length is 1,2 by 1,1 kilometres. Storvatnet is a drinking water reservoir.

Islets

There are two

islets An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and ...

on Storvatnet. The first is Storvassholmen ("the islet on the big lake"), also called Ebbelholmen. It is named after the late district doctor, Ebbel, who owned the islet until the 1970s. The other islet is Litjvassholmen (meaning "the small islet on the big lake".) A low uninhabited islet, Grasholmen ("the grass islet") is located to the north in the lake. It is flooded during wet periods.

Drainage basin and river mouths

Storvatnet's biggest

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

is located southeast in the area of Haukåsvatnet, Ramsdalen and Straumsetra. Storvatnet and Haukåsvatnet are connected through Stokkåa. The outlying land southwest of the Nørdkullen ("North hill") and the Haukåshaugen ("Hawk hill pile") forms the drainage basin for Storvatnet. Storvatnet's outgoing river mouth in the Gammelfossen waterfall.

Dam

In the late 1800s, Storvatnet was a

water reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of water, interrupt ...

for the mill "Lyhs-mølla", which was built by the Gammelfossen

waterfalls A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

. The water level of Storvatnet was controlled in the

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

by logs piled to form an adjustable barrier in an opening in the waterfall. In the 70's, the Storvatnet was permanently barraged by the local water company.

Recreation

As a drinking water reservoir, swimming is prohibited. The surrounding areas are popular

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

areas and the lake it is popular for recreational fishing. The only access to the small islets (except via the ice during winter) is by

rowing boats Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically att ...

. In recent years, small

sailing boats A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

have been observed on the Storvatnet.

Fauna

The area surrounding Storvatnet has rich animal and bird life. The population of deer increased in the 60's and 70's, and

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

and roe deer are common. Predators such as

fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

and

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

are common as well. Many

seabirds Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same envi ...

species use the Storvatnet and the vicinity for nesting. The

white-tailed eagle The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), sometimes known as the 'sea eagle', is a large bird of prey, widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which also ...

is often seen there and is their nesting area. {{DEFAULTSORT:Storvatnet (Averoy) Averøy Lakes of Møre og Romsdal