Virje Waterfall by Bovec Tourist Board

NATuRE TRAIL Občina Bovec

the secret trails of the Kanin karst waters

e m e r a l d

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THE PATHS OF WATER DROPS

www.bovec.si

The water in the karst underground In the karst underground water gradually forms larger watercourses. Its paths run much like tree branches. Only cavers can discover them, but even for them this undertaking is usually hard, since running water in the form of subterranean lakes and siphons often blocks their way. Water containing free CO2 has the capacity to dissolve limestone. A liter of water of the nearby spring of Glijun contains 95mg of CaCO3. Rain- and meltwater also contain dissolved carbon dioxide. Vast quantities of water have so far dissolved so much rock on their way from the surface to the spring that the surface has lowered by several ten meters every billion years. This has caused the creation of large karst caves and typical eroded surfaces, or karst.

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AnD The spring of Glijun the secret trails of the Kanin karst waters Ka č je brdo

thematic point hiking trail

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BOVEC Alpe Adria Trail

Spring of Glijun 430 m

BOKA

PLUŽNA

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Virje PLUŽNA Waterfall

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VIRJE

KLUŽE PREDEL

jun Gli

450 m

TRENTA VRŠI Č

Soča

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ŽAGA KOBARID

Srnic Cave Srnica

100 m

KAL-KORITNICA GOLF

Bovec Plužna

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VIRJE WATERFALL

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The mysterious paths of water drops What happens to a drop of water when it falls on the bare karst surface of the Kanin Mountain Range? It first flows on a karst rinennkaren and slowly deepens it in doing so. Sometimes it starts to make its way further into the mountain by percolating through the limestone gravel. It can also fall on a snow cone and remain preserved in the karst depressions or kotliches until the snow starts to melt in the summer. m Or it immediately slides to great depths on a karren. 0The ways in which it can reach the source are numerous!

LEGEND

Heavy rainfall, water-rich rivers and snowy mountains With an average yearly rainfall of 3500mm, the Kanin Mountain Range is considered to be one of the richest in Slovenia in terms of water. Sometimes, the amount of yearly rainfall even exceeds 4000mm. This is reflected in the high water levels of the rivers and Kanin karst springs. The waters are the highest in spring and autumn, which all fans of river sports are well aware of. Due to snow melting in the mountains, the high waters and good navigability are usually retained until mid-summer. Snow is the main reason for high water levels in the spring and summer. The winter snow cover on the Kanin Karst Plateau is usually more than five meters deep, in karst depressions it can reach a depth of more than ten meters. High water level in the autumn is usually associated with abundant autumn rains.

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Ko rit nic a

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The »Glijun and Virje – the secret trails of the Kanin karst waters« thematic nature trail enables visitors a chance to discover the complex and mysterious karst dephts world of the Kanin Mountain Range. In it, big quantities of water flow from waterfall to waterfall, from crack to crack and from stone to stone. Most of the water sources spring out on relatively few spots at the southern foot of the Kanin Mountain Range. In the cases of the Boka Waterfall and stream, the spring of Glijun or Nemčlja in the Možnica valley, the water sees the light of day in the form of a big waterfall or almost a river. Apart from that, also smaller springs or streams can be found in the area.

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Plužna

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Lead partner and editor: En Hec d.o.o. Pravljica v Bovcu concept, project and manager: Metka Belingar. Author of trail content and Slovene texts: dr. Jurij Kunaver. Expert revision: dr. Blaž Komac. Translations: Evridika Cuder. Photography: Metka Belingar, Jurij Kunaver, Dejan Ristić, Matjaž Vidmar. Graphic design and illustrations: Metka Belingar. Prepress and printing: Copigraf. Quantity: 2500 copies. Bovec, 2014. This document has been produced within the project »Pravljica v Bovcu« with the financial assistance of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. The Managing Authority Rural Development Programme for the period 2007-2013, the 100 m of Agriculture 200 m and 300 m 400 Responsible m 500formthe content: EN HEC d.o.o. Ministry the Environment.

The pools below the waterfall carved in the rock have a depth of approximately 3.5m. The average water temperature is 8 °C.

Alpe Adria Trail

ŽAGA,BOKA KLUŽE PREDEL

i VIRJE BOKA

Boka

BOVEC

PLUŽNA

jun Gli

Ko rit ni ca

a l o n g

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Virje waterfall at different water levels

AnD The spring of Glijun

THE TRAIL

K r n ič a

VIRJE WATERFALL

www.bovec.si

KAL-KORITNICA LETALIŠČE

Soča

TRENTA VRŠI Č

ČEZSO Č A

PO MO Č ROŽ

ŽAGA KOBARID

ETNO BOVEC

PANORAMA

other thematic nature trails around Bovec

TIC Bovec Tel: +386 (0)5 384 19 19 Trg golobarskih žrtev 8 Gsm: +386 (0)31 388 700 5230 Bovec, Slovenia E-mail: info@bovec.si

project by: En hec d.o.o. Evropski kmetijski sklad za razvoj podeželja: Evropa investira v podeželje. Projekt sofinancira EU.

Glijun at different water levels Below: the Plužna dam

THE SPRING OF GLIJUN altitude: 430m lowest discharge: 0,1 – 0,15m3/s average discharge: 0,25 – 0,5m3/s average water temperature: 6°C water hardness - total: ~5°GH

The Plužna accumulation lake

EXPLOITATION OF GLIJUN WATER FOR THE HEPP PLUŽNA

THE KARST SPRING OF GLIJUN

The source of the stream of Glijun arises at an altitude of approximately 430m in a small valley head at the foot of the walls of Peči. The spring is filled up with glacial material and slope gravel, so the water must find its way out to the surface among many stones. Bedrock basis is not far below the surface, as it can be seen in the side stream bed of the occasional stream of Srnica, where the water has carved out a narrow gorge and erosion hollows.

HEPP Plužna was built between 1927 and 1931 during the Italian state administration of the Upper Soča Valley, when additional electricty was needed for the planned construction of a railway between the towns of Most na Soči and Tarvisio. Since the construction never took place, the HEPP Plužna later served the electrification needs of the Upper Soča Valley. The plant utilizes the energy of a strong and permanent karst spring of Glijun. Soon after the water comes out from the source, it flows into a 170m long channel to a water reservoir also known as the Plužna lake. From the lake, the water Briceljk 2346 along a one kilometer canal until it reaches a steel flows pressure pipe and finally falls 66m into the so called Francis turbine. The water reservoir is filled or emptied according to the demands for electricity or in relation to Bav{ki Grintavec the water supply. This can significantly lower its water 2347 level. The installed power of the HEPP Plužna is 1.720 Briceljk 2346 with an annual production of 5,300 MWh. MW

Ko rit nic a

Where do the waters of Glijun and Boka come a g o Jerebica Ra cfrom? co l n el L a / Re k Glijun is one of the largest karst springs in the areaaand od 2126 la nica i R one of the few if not the only one that never runs dry. It very quickly responds to rainfall. Its drainage basin 12 ABISSO GOR TANI 11 covers a large part of the central Kanin Mountain Range, Hudi Vršič I T A LY 2344 particularly the Kanin Karst Plateau and the slopes below ^RNELSK O BREZNO Prestreljenik them. The western part of the mountain and the highest 2499 Rombon a g o Jerebica Ra cco lan ČEHI d2e l L parts of the Kanin Karst Plateau feed the Boka waterfall. a / Re k 2208 2126 la nicaSKALARJEVO Visoki Kanin io R Due to the high position of the drainage basin the Boka 2587 s BREZNO VANDIMA n i 12 a arises around fourteen days later than Glijun in the spring ABISSO GOR n tTANI o uHudi 11 M time. The average discharge of Glijun isa/ Rabout 0.5m3/s, Vršič n i T n h a 1 e IKT A L Y 2344 e z Underwater canal of the Plužna accumulation lake the lowest is about five times smaller. The average annual ija O BREZNO 2 3^RNELSK Prestreljenik 4 5 Velika Baba temperature of the spring water is about 6°C. 2499 Bav{ki Grintavec Rombon 2137 Soč a ČEHI 2Bovec 2208 MALA BOKA 2347 Visoki Kanin SKALARJEVO Vrh Planje 8 n 2587 s 6 i BREZNO VANDIMA 7 1663 n s Slap Boka Characteristics of the spring water i a 9 10 u nTthae B ovec B o Even in the coldest and most dry winter, morea than M n T h e K an i 1 Javoršček Re Učja /spring hundred liters of water flow flows into the Glijun zij 1557 Učja a 3 2 5 4 Velika Baba every second. Its average temperature is the highest at this 2137 Soča Žaga MALA BOKA Bovec time of year (+7°C), whereas the spring and summer water Vrh Planje 8 n 6 i 7 Slap Boka as is about 2°C lower. The reason for this paradox lies in the 1663 9 10 ec Bvrh T h e B ovKrasji Srpenica fact that a thick layer of snow on the Kanin Karst Plateau Javoršček 1773 1557 Učja begins to melt and the snowmelt causing the water Učja of Kobariški Stol 1673 the spring to cool down. The snow can remain well into Žaga S L O V E N I A the summer, especially in karst depressions, kotliches and Krn chasms. Boka runs dry completely in the winter, since Breginj its Srpenica Krasji vrh 1773 Precipitation map of Slovenia in the cold drainage basin in the high karst terrain is filled up Kobariški Stol period from 1961 to 1990 (ARSO, 2014) with snow and does not let even a drop of water flow into 1673 a ž i d the depths. Kobarid Na Re

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When the water gates open Strong precipitation is a common phenomenon in the Zbor41.qxd 25.3.2002 Bovec region. Autumnal rainfall can be as high as 300mm per 24 hours. When this occurs, many new water sources arise, jointly creating various sounds like a small water orchestra. Before the bridge above the gorge of Glijun and right before the Plužna accumulation lake, water rushing from all sides strengthens the flow of the Glijun and creates thundering sounds.

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Water canalKrn of the HE Plužna

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Izviri:

Tomažek

Izviri: Gereš

Bla` Komac, The karst springs of the Kanin massif

Tomažek 31 Ubivnica

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Raccolan 1 el Tomažek 3 Ubivnica Lago Jerebica a/Rek The orchestra of sources od 2126 lanica i 2 Gereš 4 RGlijun Water also springs out from the cave of Srnica lying in 12 3 Ubivnica the valley head at the end of the valley of Glijun. Srnica 5 Kladenki ABISSO GORTANI 11 4 Glijun is one of the strongest occasional sources in the area. Its Hudi 6 Vr{i~Vodica ITALY 2344 approximately 750m long tunnels on several floors are 5 Kladenki 7 Žvika ^RNELSKO BREZNO Prestreljenik completely dry most of the year. With heavy rainfall, its 6 Vodica 2499 Rombon tunnels are quickly flooded by water flowing to the lower 8 Boka^EHI 2 2208 Visoki Kanin SKALARJEVO 7 Žvika and upper entrance. From the upper entrance a 35m high 2587 BREZNO9 VANDIMA Bočiči n s t8a Boka and very narrow waterfall occurs. This usually happens n u o Izvir pri Bočiču 10 M 9 Bočič after several days of rain, only once a year anda/lasts 1 Re only T h e K a n i n zij Možnica 11 for a few hours. In the year of 1999 the water occurred Izvir pri Bočiču 10 a 2 3 5 4 several times. After such exceptional years, a year or twoVelika Baba 2137 11 Možnica Goriuda 12BOKA MALA Bovec without this phenomenon can follow. With each period Vrh Planje 8 n 12 Goriuda 7 6Jama Slap Boka of heavy rain, water starts to flow down the slope of the1663 asi B 9 10 T h e B o ve c Jama waterfall and the nearby karstic torrent Krničar. The Javor{~ek U~ja 0 1 2 3 4 km permanent source of Krničar appears in the lowest part 1557 U~j a 0 1 2 3 4 km of its bed, not far away from its confluence with Glijun. Kartografija: Jerneja Fridl @aga

Map of the Kanin mountain range with the positions of some Kanin chasms and karst springs at the southern foot of the range (according to B. Komac, 2001). The map shows a significant difference in the number of karst springs on the southern and northern side of the Kanin mountain range. Karst springs: The limestone pavement on Skripi below 1 Tomažek the D station of the Kanin cableway (2100m) is covered with rinnenkarrren. springs: 2KarstGereš Gereš 42 Glijun Briceljk

2346 Ubivnica 53 Kladenki Glijun 64 Vodica

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springs: Kladenki 5Karst Žvika

Vodica 6 1 Bav{ki Grintavec Toma`ek

Boka

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98 Bočič Ubivnica 3 Boka 109 Spring Bočič at Bočič 4 Glijun 1110 Možnica Spring at Bočič o~ a 5 Kladenki 11 Goriuda 12 Možnica S 6 Vodica 12 Goriuda 7

Shaft, cave @vika Shaft, cave

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3 9 1 Bo~i~2 Cartography: Jerneja Fridl 0

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