Project Moses
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Diagram of a floodgate |
Project Moses - the plan some hope will stop the threat of aqua alta, while others feel that the only thing it will stop is the city. The plan inserts 79 underwater gates between the lagoon and the Adriatic Sea. The gates are large (about 20 x 20 x4), metal chambers filled with water that will be activated when the tide raises more than 1 meter. Once activated, hydraulic power will fill the chambers with air and raise them to the surface, creating dikes. |
| So far, only one of the seventy nine gates has been implemented. The test gate was placed in the Treparti canal from 1988 – 1992. Controversy surrounds this plan, therefore, the results vary depending upon who is questioned. The Green Party, a strong force in Italy, maintains that Project Moses will be detrimental to the environment. They report that if the floodgates were activated every time the tide surpassed one meter that the dike system would be raised almost 250 days a year. This would prevent the Adriatic’s water from flushing through the lagoon and cleansing it of pollutants, turning the Island City into a disgusting cespool. Other arguments against the Project include financial issues. If the city spends $2.5 million dollars on a floodgate system, little else will be available to alleviate the city’s other problems. |
Venice and the surrounding lagoon
(UNESCO) |
