In this section of the river, above Gerri, the channel begins that takes the water to the watermill and the well with a slight loss of height.
Salt extraction in Gerri is an industrial process that for centuries exclusively used renewable energy sources: Solar radiation power, hydraulic power, wind power for evaporation of the water, the muscles of people and pack animals, etc.
In this section of the river, above Gerri, the channel begins that takes the water to the watermill and the well with a slight loss of height.
The water in the channel acts on the hydraulic wheels.
At the well, mechanical energy is transmitted to a piston pump to elevate the salty water. This is redistributed via the slope towards all the ponds in the salt beds system.
Solar radiation energy, which heats, and the wind, which renews the air over the salt bed, are responsible for the evaporation of the water and, therefore, the crystallisation of the salt in the beds.
The energy for extracting and transporting the salt is so-called “blood energy” or “endosomatic” energy, which we animals obtain from food and spend by using our muscles.