For weeks, indeed months now, the media have been reporting on the water shortage around and especially in Lake Garda. Two dry winters and modest precipitation have resulted in low water levels in the lakes of northern Italy. The situation is however not so critical that your holiday on Lake Garda will be adversely affected. Why? Find out here:
This page gives you current, regularly updated information regarding the situation at Lake Garda, the water level, water health, possible restrictions and more.
Page updated on 22/05/2023
As of May 2023, Lake Garda is 80 cm above its zero level, which is set at 64.027 metres above sea level. The normal water level is between 80 and 100 cm above zero level in winter, but in summer it can drop to 10 cm.
We have to go back decades to find an equivalent to today’s level (see here): the water level was similarly low in the 1980s. This is not only due to the low rainfall, but also to water being drawn in line with regulations for irrigation activities and the like.
For the purposes of clarity, the water level zero point is an arbitrarily determined benchmark for determining the water level. The lake is regulated on this basis by the competent consortium (see question 3).
The water level is checked daily. The latest water level figure can be seen here.
A consortium is responsible for controlling and regulating the water level, which is given in percentage form. Such percentages do not, as is often mistakenly believed, refer to the total amount of water in the lake, but rather to a guideline value set for the regulation of lakes. Find out more here:
Lake Garda is a regulated lake, i.e. its water level is regulated by dams for various purposes and reasons (e.g. irrigation, industry, floods). There is a minimum regulation value, which corresponds to the lowest value of the water level permitted within the regulatory framework: on the other hand, the maximum regulation value corresponds to the highest water level permitted within the regulatory framework. Note that the lowest value is not the same as the bottom of the lake.
These two limits are calculated on the basis of the zero point for the water level (see question 1). The difference between the lowest and highest values is called the “maximum storage value”. This maximum storage value corresponds to a tiny fraction of the total water volume – and this is what the percentages refer to when talking about Lake Garda’s water level.
The lake is doing fine. APPA, the “Agenzia provinciale per la protezione dell’ambiente”, i.e. the environmental protection agency for the Province of Trentino, checks the health of the lake six times a year. Currently this is excellent: the water shortage has had a positive impact on the health of the water, as it allows for a more stable environment thanks to the reduced inflow from rivers and rainfall.
No. The ferries of the Navigarda network are running normally. Should the water level continue to drop, Navigarda will instead use craft that are suitable for low water levels, such as hydrofoils.
No – no restrictions have been placed on water sports, including canyoning.
There are currently no changes here either, except that a few fountains in Riva del Garda have been switched off as an awareness-raising measure.
No – there are no restrictions in place at the moment.
