Saving Iceland

Updated August 2008 – Farið is a river in Iceland’s southwester highlands and runs out of Hagavatn lake, south of Langjökull glacier. Orkuveita Reykjavikur (Reykjavik Energy) is doing a feasibility study into damming the river and constructing a 30-40 MW hydroplant. The river would be dammed and another dam would be constructed just above Leynifoss waterfall.
The Ministry of Industry granted permission in 2007 this to OR for the study. One of the arguments used in favour of the dam is to reduce soil erosion from the Hagavatn lake area by making it into a reservoir, but others have refuted this saying a reservoir would increase erosion.

Director of the Icelandic Tourist Association Ólafur Örn Haraldsson is against the plans. “A dam and a power plant will destroy one of the most spectacular land formation processes of Langjökull,” he said, adding the area is like an open and easily readable geology book.
Haraldsson said the area is becoming an increasingly popular hiking destination, which has the potential to become as popular as Laugavegur hiking route to Landmannalaugar, south Iceland.

Photo’s: Matts Wibe Lund, Mats.is, www.natturukort.is/svaedi/farid