Ammerån Våle

Water that shapes the landscape

Ever since the inland ice melted more than 10,000 years ago, water has flowed in the Ammerån valley. The rushing water has since shaped the landscape. The River Ammerån is fully unregulated. There are no dams or power plants here. The white-water sections are as productive as a coral reef. The river is today one of Sweden's best fishing waters.

Sandbanks

Every second, year after year the River Ammerån’s streaming water affects its environs. The river wears down, carries with it and deposits materials such as sand, gravel and mud. This way new land is formed including sandbanks.

Sandbanks are the islets in the middle of the river. On some of them roots and growth will bind the sediment they are formed by, making it difficult for the water to carry off the material, even at the strongest spring flood. The bare sandbanks however are mostly temporary.

*Sandbanks in the River Ammerån*. Photo: Katarina Söderlund.

Sausage lakes

In the River Ammerån the streaming water cuts into the riversides making soil fall into the water and being carried away. Most of the material is torn away from the outer bends of the river where the water runs faster. This way new bends are formed that can grow wide and deep.

At times the water finds new ways and the bend is cut off from the main riverbed. This way a new oblong lake may be formed which in due course is overgrown and becomes a bog. The oblong lakes are in Swedish called sausage lakes but also oxbow lakes.

*Abraded riverbank along the River Ammerån*. Photo: Katarina Söderlund.

Round stones shaped by water

About 20,000 years ago the thick inland ice covered the land that today is Sweden. In due course the ice melted. Geologists are not entirely certain but Ragunda was probably free from ice some 10,000 years ago.

On dry sections of the riverbed you can see masses of ground stones. They may have become round in shape by the streaming melting water as the inland ice melted at its most here some 10 000 years ago. The stones were ground against the riverbed and each other while in transit.

*Round stones in the River Ammerån.* Photo: Katarina Söderlund.

The struggle over the River Ammerån

Since 2003 the River Ammerån is a nature reserve, but it was not a given cause to preserve and protect the river.

In 1975 a serious proposal was made to redirect the water from the River Ammerån down to Lake Gesunden. This would serve to lead more water to the power stations in the River Indalsälven. Meanwhile the river’s 17 kilometres downstream would be emptied and laid dry.

A local group was soon formed, Ammerågruppen, engaged to oppose the proposal. Following the rejection by Ragunda Local Authority and the parliament the proposal was thrown out.

But in 1983 the issue was reintroduced. A new commission was positive to the proposal and the Ammerågruppen was reactivated. The local school was involved, there were shows given and a committee visited parliament. In 1990 the government finally rejected the exploration project. Ammerån was saved.