The clay excavation

On the South of the Reserve there are 8 metres deep ponds more crystal-clear than the other ones. Their distinct appearance, compared to the others, is due to their different origin. In these ponds clay has been dug and it has been used to make bricks. That is the reason why the water is clearer than the water in the other ponds.

In the area connected to the Lake Iseo, called “Lametta”, the formation of the peat is geologically more recent and there, the excavation of peat, took place in the 1970s, for horticultural porpoises. The digging was made by an industry founded by the Italian motorcycling champion, Giacomo Agostini. In these ponds, in recent times, clay was dug.

The Torbiere’s watery habitat is very delicate and in quick evolution. The Reserve is divided in two:

• Lama, a closed bound powered by four springs: spring waters, rain, Rì stream and anthropologic drains
• Lametta, connected to the Lake Iseo by some canals that allow the change of water

The green colour of the Lama’s water is caused by the excessive eutrophication. The enrichment of mineral salts like nitrogen and phosphorus, due to the agriculture and the drain of waste waters, causes the excessive proliferation of bacteria and seaweed. This is the reason of murky water.

This process has consequences regarding the degradation of the water’s quality, the impoverishment of biocenosis and a general loss in the biodiversity in the levels of the food chain