Lake Idro

Lake Idro Lago d'Idro
Lake Idro Lago d'Idro
Location	Province of Brescia and Trentino, Northern Italy
Coordinates	45°46′48″N 10°30′36″E / 45.78000°N 10.51000°E / 45.78000; 10.51000
Primary inflows	Chiese, Caffaro, Re di Anfo
Primary outflows	Chiese
Catchment area	617 km2 (238 sq mi)
Basin countries	Italy
Max. length	11 km (6.8 mi)
Max. width	1.9 km (1.2 mi)
Surface area	11.4 km2 (4.4 sq mi)
Max. depth	122 m (400 ft)
Water volume	335 hm3 (272,000 acre⋅ft)
Shore length1	24 km (15 mi)
Surface elevation	368 m (1,207 ft)
Settlements	Bondone, Idro, Anfo, Bagolino
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Idro (Italian: Lago d'Idro, also Eridio from Latin: Eridius lacus, Lombard: Lac d'Ider, German: Idrosee) is an Italian prealpine lake of glacial origin situated largely within the Province of Brescia (Lombardy) and in part in Trentino.

At 368 m above sea level it is the highest of the Lombard prealpine lakes. The lake is fed principally by the waters of the river Chiese; that river is also its only emissary. It has a surface area of 11.4 km² and a maximum depth of 122 m.

The lake is surrounded by wooded mountains. The shoreline of some 24 km is shared across four communes: Idro (the frazioni Crone and Lemprato), from which the lake takes its name, Anfo, Bagolino (fraz. Ponte Caffaro) and Bondone (fraz. Baitoni).

Lake Idro currently faces severe problems of eutrophication resulting from the absence of adequate sewerage systems and the use of its feed-waters for irrigation and the generation of hydropower: it has become a site of conflict between environmental, agricultural and electricity industry interests.

The name derives from a legendary monster (Idra) who supposedly lived there