Rein da Medel

Rein da Medel
Rein da Medel
	Graubünden
Physical characteristics
Source
• coordinates	46°34′10″N 8°41′44″E / 46.56944°N 8.69556°E
• elevation	2,500 m (8,200 ft)
Disentis/Mustér,
• coordinates	46°41′46″N 8°51′18″E / 46.69611°N 8.85500°E
• elevation	1,047 m (3,435 ft)
Length	25.4 km (15.8 mi)
Basin size	127.7 km2 (49.3 sq mi)
Basin features
Progression	Vorderrhein→ Rhine→ North Sea
Tributaries
• right	Rein da Cristallina, Rein da Plattas

The Rein da Medel (

Sursilvan, (i.e. Romansh) name in Graubünden, which is commonly used to denote the ticinese part as well.^[1]

The most important place along the river is the village Curaglia in the municipality of Medel.

Course of the river

The headwaters of the Rein da Medel flow through the Val Cadlimo, a small west-east valley south of the main Alpine ridge in the municipality of

Quinto

in the canton of Ticino. This is officially Italian-speaking territory; the Italian name of the creek is Reno di Medel.

There are three almost equally strong source streams:

The southern spring trickle flows through the Lago Scuro (2,450 m (8,040 ft) and thereafter becomes a creek, between Punta Negra and Bassa del Lago Scuro (a pass).
The central spring trickle rises on the Bocchetta di Cadlimo (a pass at 2,533 m (8,310 ft)) and shortly thereafter flows through the Lago di Dentro (2,504 m (8,215 ft)).
The northern spring trickles rise beneath the Pizzo Curnera (2,796 m (9,173 ft)).

The northern spring trickles are about 640 meters long. The southern and western spring creeks are about 1,000 meters from their start to the confluence before the Lago dell'Isra (2,321 m (7,615 ft)). 46°33′56″N 8°42′18″E / 46.5656°N 8.7051°E / 46.5656; 8.7051.

About four kilometers to the east after the Lago dell'Isra at the end of its first valley, the Val Cadlimo, the Reno di Medel forms a steep little

Quinto and Blenio. A few meters north of the inflow into the Lai da Sontga Maria reservoir (1,906 m (6,253 ft)), the boundary between Ticino and Graubünden is a straight line between Lukmanier Pass

and Pizzo Scai, which ignores the local topography.

Now in the Grisons, the creek flows through the

Sursilvan speaking part of the canton. The middle section of the river is called Froda;^{[citation needed}

] the lower section is called Rein da Medel. The name change takes place at the confluence of major tributary Rein da Cristallina down from south-east.

The middle and lower sections of the river flows through the Val Medel it created. Most of this section belongs to the municipality of

Disentis/Muster

. Numerous small tributaries flow into the Reno di Medel throughout the entire Val Medel. The last two kilometers, just north and below the village

Anterior Rhine at about 1,047 m (3,435 ft) above sea level

, just east below the road bridge across the Anterior Rhine on the road to the Lukmanier Pass.

Flow lengths

The total flow length of the net since Medel is about 25.4 km. The lengths of the various sections are approximately:

Southern headwater: 0.99 km
Western headwater: 1.00 km
Northern headwater: 0.64 km
Reno di Medel (upper reaches of the Val Cadlimo, plus part of the middle reaches in Ticino, excluding Lai da Sontga Maria): 6.76 km
Lai da Sontga Maria: 2.67 km
Froda (dried part of the middle reaches without Lai da Santa Maria): 5.91 km
Reno di Medel (lower reaches): 9.05 km

Neighboring river basins

The key neighboring river basins in the Rhine system, those of the Reno Anteriur (

Anterior Rhine), the Reno da Nalps and the Reno da Sumvitg and in the catchment area of the Po the rivers of Canaria, Murinascia Grande and Brenno

.

Gallery

View over the Lai da Sontga Maria to the south: to the far right is the entrance to the gorge of the lower Val Cadlimo; also on the right: a view into Val Termine towards Passo dell 'Uomo; on the left: the passage towards Lukmanier Pass and the ticinese
Valle Santa Maria
Map of the municipality of Medel, with poorly mapped Rein da Medel
Cantonal border demarcation in the area (Olivone now belongs to Blenio).
Froda (middle section of the Rein da Medel), facing north
View over the lower reaches of the Rein da Medel, facing north. In the foreground Platta; in the background Curaglia. The ravine that the Rein da Medel has eroded into the bottom of the U-shaped glacial valley, is clearly visible.
Retaining wall of the Lai da Maria Sontga
Views over Curaglia towards Anterior Rhine Valley with the Benedictine Abbey of Disentis
View towards Medel Glacier

Footnotes

^ For example, by cantonal and federal authorities

[1] For example, by cantonal and federal authorities

[1]

v t e Tributaries of the Rhine
Left (western)	Vorderrhein Aua da Russein Schmuèr Alpine Rhine Vorderrhein Tamina Alter Rhein Rheintaler Binnenkanal Lake Constance Goldach High Rhine Thur Töss Glatt Aare Sissle Ergolz Birs Birsig Upper Rhine Ill Moder Sauer Lauter Spiegelbach Queich Speyerbach Rehbach Isenach Eckbach Eisbach Pfrimm Selz Middle Rhine Welzbach Nahe Moselle Nette Brohlbach Ahr Lower Rhine Erft
Right (eastern)	Vorderrhein Rein da Tuma Rein da Curnera Rein da Medel Rein da Sumvitg Glogn Rabiusa Hinterrhein Ragn da Ferrera Albula/Alvra Alpine Rhine Hinterrhein Plessur Landquart Mülbach Ill Frutz Lake Constance Dornbirner Ach Bregenzer Ach Leiblach Argen Schussen Rotach Brunnisach Lipbach Seefelder Aach Stockacher Aach Radolfzeller Aach High Rhine Biber Wutach Alb Murg Wehra Upper Rhine Wiese Elz Kinzig Rench Acher Murg Alb Pfinz Saalbach Kraichbach Leimbach Neckar Weschnitz Modau Main Middle Rhine Wisper Lahn Wied Lower Rhine Sieg Wupper Düssel Ruhr Emscher Lippe IJssel Oude IJssel/Issel Berkel Schipbeek