Associazione Piazza San Marco
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October 22, 2013

WILL ALL OF THE CITY 80-90 CENTIMETRES OR MORE ABOVE SEA LEVEL STAY DRY WITH THE MOSE SYSTEM?

As the diocesan periodical Gente Veneta reports today in a long article on the Mose system and the recent entirely successful raising of four floodgates at the Lido port entrance, according to Consorzio Venezia Nuova technicians, with the Mose system operational in 2016 not only will the parts of the city above the fateful threshold of 110 centimetres stay dry, but also those above 90 centimetres. According to what is reported by the periodical ‘this is exactly what will happen: when the Mose management and forecasting system forecasts a tide of 110 centimetres, the floodgates will be activated starting from 65 centimetres. The final result will depend on many variables, but the water in the lagoon should stay at a level of 80-90 centimetres, no more’. This is news that certainly must be studied, given the numerous concerns expressed not only by the city council but also by the Associazione Piazza San Marco. The latter has on several occasions, and shortly also in a dossier being published, highlighted the paradox of a major engineering project in operation and the heart of the city, St Mark’s Square, being flooded with water in any case, given that with a 80 centimetre high tide the historical part of the Procuratie Vecchie is already flooded, with obvious difficulties for businesses and serious repercussions for the historical monuments.