By mid-March, the lake will be completely emptied at first and then partially empty. Since the water has not been completely drained since 2000, the scenes are also interesting for locals and other passers-by. The former images of the deep sinks of the Soča River, now documented only on old photographs of Most na Soči due to the 80-hectare-large reservoir lake, are easier to imagine with the recent drainage. The water level has been decreased in order to be able to safely repair hydro mechanical equipment at the 40-metre dam in Podselo, which was built by the Italians in 1939 and has not been properly renovated since then.
"So far, we have carried out the reconstruction of the floor gate and the left and right tripartite gates. By 10 February, we will complete the work on the middle structural gate, while the upper dam gates can be renovated with partial denivelation of the water level, that is, with a decrease by eight metres," explains development director Alida Rejec.
Between 10 February and 15 March the lake will thus only be partially empty. The renovation will also be used as an opportunity to remove debris. "We anticipate that in the area from Godiče to the cemetery under Tolmin we will remove approximately 40,000 cubic metres of gravel deposits, which is why we will set up temporary landfills in the area of Godiče and under the cemetery, and we will then transport the material to a permanent landfill near Tolminka River," explains Rejec.
As stated in the concession contract, SENG has to coordinate the programme of deposit removal from the lake with all the space holders each year before the concessionaire, i.e. the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, can confirm it. "According to the concession agreement, we have to maintain the banks, accumulation and, of course, gravel," emphasizes Rejec, adding that also in accordance with the concession agreement, the removal of river gravel is planned in autumn by the Idrijca, under the Most na Soči railway station and at the confluence of the Idrijca and Bača rivers.
Although the lake is empty, silt in the centre of the lake will not cleared for several more years. According to Rejec, it was last cleaned more than 20 years ago. Member of the Most na Soči local and tourist steering committees, Darij Vouk, who knows the area very well, estimates that a lot of material has accumulated over the course of several decades, which in his view also leads to a slower river flow and more floods. This year alone, the lake crossed the banks twice. This is the third time that the 66-year-old Vouk sees the emptied lake, which will remain an attraction for the locals and photographers for another month.
