Urridafoss (Urriðafoss) Waterfall
Urridafoss (Urriðafoss) Waterfall
Whilst traveling on route 1 you'll cross the mighty glacial river Þjorsa, where you may like to take a 2km detour south to Urridafoss or the 'brown trout waterfall'.
Once there was an ambitious plan to build a hydroelectric power plant at Urridafoss and railway from here to Reykjavik.
Those plans never materialized but now the Iceland national power company, Landsvirkjun, is planning to build two plants on the lower part of Þjorsar river, at Urridafoss and Nupur.
The proposed Urridafoss power plant is expected to have a capacity of approximately 125 MW (Megawatts) and a power-generating capacity of 930 GWh (gigawatt-hours) per year.
The powerhouse will be underground and water will be taken by tunnel above Urridafoss and discharged back into the Þjorsar river below, but this will result in the disappearance of the waterfall.
Local residents in the area are protesting against the construction in an effort to save Urridafoss.