or is a long river which flows northwards, ending up as a tributary to the river Ranelva at Hjartåsen in the small village of Storvoll in the Dunderland Valley in Rana Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The river should not be confused with the nearby stream, also named Messingåga, which flows into the river Ranelva from the east, just north of the village of Dunderland.
The river is located in an untouched natural area, in one of the most important areas of wetland birds in Rana Municipality. It is very rich with Arctic char and trout, and has been proposed to be preserved both by environmental organizationsSamarbeidsrådet for Naturvernsaker (SRN), Den Norske Turistforening, Norges Naturvernforbund, Norges Jeger- og Fiskerforbund, WWW: Verneverdige norske vassdrag, Oslo, April 2004Erling Solvang, Naturvernforbundet i Nordland: Ta vare på vassdragene, Helgeland Arbeiderblad, July 16, 2004 and by the Norwegian parliament.Innst.S.nr.116 (2004-2005) Innstilling fra energi- og miljøkomiteen om supplering av Verneplan for vassdrag
Path From the small lake of Kjerringvatnet (), the river Kjerringelva () flows in an eastern direction. This river meets the stream Jarfjellbekken, which flows in a northern direction from the tarn Jarfjelltjønna through Austerskardet, north of the lake Kopparvatnet. Messingåga has its beginning at Elivollan (), where the Kjerringelva and Jarfjellbekken meet.
The river flows in a northern direction, through the Messingdalen valley, east of the mountain Messingen. On its way northwards, the river absorbs (from the west) five brooks flowing from the mountain Jarfjellet, and (from the east) it also absorbs another five brooks from the mountain Kjerringfjellet and one brook from the mountain Harafjellet.
Messingåga flows through an area of moraines and deposits from glacial rivers. On its way to lake Kopparvatnet, it flows through an area of mounds and knots of moraines (kettle area).
Power production In 2005, the MiljøEnergi Nordland AS electric company delivered a formal application to the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, in order to get a license to use parts of Messingåga to produce electricity.Søknad om utbygging av kraftverk (Sakstype C-41), Registreringsnr 4325, Saksnr 200502031, Vassdragsnr 156.F1A MESSINGÅGA Two alternatives have been presented: One installation of with an energy production of , and another installation of with an energy production of .
See also List of rivers in Norway
References