Lago Bianco, the Committee opposes the restoration work: "A remedy worse than the disease." And it promises a new complaint.

There is no peace for Lago Bianco , at 2,652 meters above sea level on the Gavia Pass. The area surrounding this body of water in the heart of the Stelvio National Park continues to be in precarious conditions, despite its naturalistic importance. This precariousness has not been put to an end, not even by the restoration work following the damage inflicted by the implementation of the project by the Municipality of Valfurva and the Santa Caterina Impianti SpA company , which involved capturing water from Lago Bianco to be transformed into artificial snow for the Valtellina cross-country ski trail. The restoration work was completed in October 2024.

These works "have only become fully evident in recent weeks," Matteo Lanciani , representative of the Save Lago Bianco Committee, explained to ilFattoQuotidiano.it . "The 'restoration' consists of a simple covering of earth and rocks , leaving the area of the gigantic excavation completely uneven ," reads the Facebook page of the committee, founded in 2023 in opposition to the catchment works. It also states that "the profile of the land is discontinuous, the large pyramid of earth towers near the lake to cover the abominable concrete cube that contains the now former pump control cabin." The description continues. The buried pipes continue downstream. The gap here is also devoid of any kind of revegetation. Not a blade of grass has sprouted, and the trenches , dug in violation of the authorized executive plan (over 5 meters wide instead of 1.5), end where the pipes, now covered by a few rocks, reveal a continuous and constant water leak that has created a small stream. An artificial estuary now carries the waters of Lago Bianco downstream, eroding the habitat.

In short, the work, which was supposed to heal a wound, according to the Committee, constitutes a cure worse than the disease . The work was agreed upon in August by representatives of the Park, the Municipality of Valfurva, the Region, the environmental protection associations of the Stelvio National Park Observatory, and the Save Lago Bianco Committee. The technical report illustrating the restoration project proposes several measures. These are being implemented. As for the grassing, "as indicated by Dr. Federica Gironi," the report states, "we believe the best course of action is to cause as little disruption as possible and leave room for natural plant recolonization . Therefore, no grassing is planned." A decision contested by Lanciani: " The grassing absolutely had to be done , reusing the clods of earth removed for the work. These clods should naturally have been set aside in anticipation of a possible redevelopment of the area." Lanciani promises to file a new complaint with the Sondrio Public Prosecutor's Office. This time against the restoration work.