New reservoir in Stabio strengthens Mendrisiotto's water supply

The new reservoir at Bella Cima has been inaugurated in Stabio, a project costing around 4 million francs that forms part of the reorganisation of the water network in the Mendrisiotto region. The facility comes at the end of a summer marked by intense heat and scarce rainfall, conditions that are making the security of drinking water supply an increasingly urgent issue.

The municipality has invested in recent years in the Santa Margherita intake, the underground source that feeds the municipal network. Mayor Simone Castelletti explained that the goal goes beyond Stabio's borders: the aim is to build a system able to guarantee greater security for the whole region.

The two tanks and the well

The new facility has two tanks, with a combined capacity of over 3,000 cubic metres. About half of the volume serves the network's ordinary operation, while the other half is reserved for emergencies. The water comes from the Santa Margherita intake, in the Stabio plain, as explained by Stefano Quarenghi, director of AMS. Pumps send it simultaneously to the municipal network and to the reservoir; when the pumps are not running, gravity carries the water stored at Bella Cima to the population.

The project looks beyond municipal boundaries. Marco Romano, president of the consortium delegation of the Mendrisiotto Regional Water Board (ARM), recalled that «l'acqua non conosce confini» (water knows no borders) and that the strategy now is to connect the district's various sources with each other. The decisive step will be the pumping and treatment station at Riva San Vitale, a project discussed for around fifty years: according to Romano, it should be handed over by the end of the year and come into operation in 2027. From then on, the Mendrisiotto will also be able to rely on lake water, benefiting municipalities whose own sources run into difficulty as well as those that will be able to rely entirely on the lake supply.

A more robust network, however, does not lessen the need for careful consumption. Castelletti recalled that the Santa Margherita intake is a valuable resource, but that recent years of drought have shown how carefully it must be used. The call on the population to avoid waste therefore remains valid, even now that the region has new reservoirs and new water sources.