Lærdalselva

Lærdalselva Lærdalselvi
The Lærdalselva
Data
Water code	NO : 073.Z
location	Vestland ( Norway )
River system	Lærdalselva
Drain over	Lærdalselva → Sognefjord  → North Sea
source	Filefjell 61 ° 10 ′ 38 "  N , 8 ° 7 ′ 32"  E
muzzle	in the Lærdalsfjord ( Sognefjord ) Coordinates: 61 ° 6 ′ 11 ″  N , 7 ° 28 ′ 19 ″  E 61 ° 6 ′ 11 ″  N , 7 ° 28 ′ 19 ″  E
Mouth height	0  moh.
Catchment area	1183 km²
Communities	Lærdal

The Lærdalselva is a river in Vestland in Norway . It flows through the western part of Filefjell and Hemsedalsfjell and flows into Lærdalsfjord , a southern branch of the inner Sognefjord .

The catchment area covers 1,183 km². The river forms part of the Lærdalsvassdraget river system , the largest in the former Fylke Sogn og Fjordane .

The Lærdalselva is one of the most famous salmon rivers in Norway. The river has been frequented by numerous celebrities over the past 100 years. Norway's King Harald V had fished regularly in the river since the 1970s. The rich tradition of sport fishing and angling began with the British Lords in the 1850s.

The river has often been called the "Queen of the Salmon Rivers". At the opening of the Norwegian Wild Salmon Center , King Harald V referred to the river as its second queen.

In 1996 the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus salaris attacked the salmon population of the Lærdalselva. In 1997 the river was treated with Rotenone , which resulted in the loss of 12 tons of salmon and sea ​​trout in the water. However, the parasite reappeared six to seven years later and was then fought with acid aluminum in autumn 2005 and spring 2006 . However, in October 2007 the parasite was discovered in a young salmon 16 km from the estuary. In April 2008, the Lærdalselva and the neighboring Erdalselva were again treated with acidic aluminum. Meanwhile, sport fishermen are back on the river.

The Lærdalselva has shaped the valley through which it flows. The story tells of frequent and occasionally violent floods . The river often changed its course. In 1890 measures were taken to tame the river. However, there have been several floods since then. The largest recorded occurred in 1920 and 1924. In May 1971, there was also a major flood. Their discharge rates were estimated at 480–660 cubic meters per second.

Use of hydropower

The Borgund kraftverk , which was built from 1971 to 1978, produced three hydropower plants on the Lærdalselva approximately 1,160 GWh annually.

Surname	Power in MW	Annual output in GWh	Fall height in m	operator
Øljusjøen power station	28	42	220	Østfold Energi
Borgund power station	186	955	873	Østfold Energi
Stuvane strength training	38	163	164	Østfold Energi

Web links

• NVE