Moelva (Agder)
| Moelva Maa Elv (historic spelling) | |
|---|---|
 View of the river | |
| Location | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Agder |
| Municipalities | Lillesand and Birkenes |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Southern hill of Søndagsheia, Tveide |
| • coordinates | 58°16′52″N 8°13′19″E / 58.2812°N 8.2219°E |
| • elevation | 175 metres (574 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Tingsakerfjorden, Lillesand |
• coordinates | 58°15′18″N 8°23′18″E / 58.2551°N 8.3883°E |
• elevation | 0 metres (0 ft) |
| Length | 20.8 km (12.9 mi) |
Basin size | 3,454 km2 (1,334 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 1.04 m3/s (37 cu ft/s)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Lillesand-Birkenes |
Moelva[2] is a river in Agder, Norway. The river flows through Birkenes Municipality and Lillesand Municipality. It originates from a hill south of Tveide in Birkenes Municipality and empties into the Tingsakerfjord, east of the town of Lillesand in Lillesand Municipality. Large parts of the disused, former railway Lillesand-Flaksvand Line followed the river bank.
An old stone bridge is still located by Helvetesfossen. It was restored by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration in 1993.[3]
Hydropower
The hydropower company Lillesand Elektrisitetsverk was started as a private company in 1916. There were dams in all tributaries to Moelva, dam at Helvetesfossen and pipeline down to the power station at Tingsaker, that had a turbine of 150 horsepower (110 kW), a generator of 125 kilowatts (168 hp), and an oil transformer of 7 kilowatts (9.4 hp). The power plant was sold and closed in 1970.[4]
Fishing
Moelva is a sea trout leader in the lower part. It is Lillesand Municipality that has been responsible for both the preparation and clearing of the riverbed and built a threshold dam in the lower part of the river. The sea trout population has recovered after a decline due to pollution.[3]
Gallery
- Former power plant
Old equipment from the power plant.
Preserved cultural monument from the former power plant.
The power plant in 1917.
Interior of the power plant in 1917.
See also
References
- ↑ "Moelva, Lillesand" (in Norwegian). Atlas of the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate.
- ↑ "Informasjon om stadnamn". Norgeskart (in Norwegian). Kartverket. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- 1 2 Lillesand kommune (1993). Håndbok om kulturløyper, Natur- og kulturhistorie i Lillesands turområder (in Norwegian).
- ↑ "Lillesands første elektrisitetsverk" (in Norwegian). Lillesand Town- and Maritime Museum.