The River Ticino

The Upper Ticino has its source in Canton Ticino and flows from two springs. The main one is located at the Nufenen Pass, the other of more modest magnitude is located near the Gotthard Pass at Airolo. The Lower Ticino constitutes the only outflow of Lake Maggiore. At the level of Castelletto sopra Ticino and Golasecca, the Ticino meets the Miorina artificial barrage, which regulates its outflow from Lake Maggiore. A little further downstream is the Porto della Torre Dam, where the Ticino yields part of its flow to the Regina Elena Canal, which irrigates the Novara’s countryside. Immediately after, in the territory of Somma Lombardo, there is the Panperduto weir. Here much of the Ticino's water is channeled and goes to feed the Villoresi Canal and the Industrial Canal. The river, deprived of much of its water, flows in a vast riverbed, feeding some milling ditches, both in Piedmont and Lombardy, which once moved the blades of mills, now disused.

The Ticino River is also a source of precious metals. The origin of gold is undoubtedly linked to the presence, in the Alpine region, of auriferous veins of fair economic interest. Disintegration by weathering causes the metal to be transported downstream to the plains, where it accumulates. Exploration in the alluvium of the Ticino has ancient origins. The research involved not only gold, but also other alluvial minerals such as quartz, corundum, etc.; however, all the campaigns remained in the dreams of their originators. Yet in the present state of knowledge many scholars believe that economic utilization would be advantageous, especially due to the possibility of applying modern methods and means. In the Ticino area, the gold content of alluvium has been estimated at about 300-600 mg/m3.

To better understand the magnitude, deposits with much lower gold contents, on the order of 100-200mg/m3, are exploited in the United States.