Bugl del Cò de Sót | Double Fountain in the little Square – Loc. Oga (ENG)

The fountain, consisting of two monolithic granite basins and serving the Contrada di Sotto, was built in 1890, probably on the site of an older one. On April 30, 1558, one of the earliest water captation requests was submitted by the residents of Oga, through their deputies, to the Magnificent Council of Bormio to bring the water from a spring to the village, dividing it into two well-defined streams to feed two fountains and make it available to the community. The layout of new watercourses was regulated by the Civil Statutes of Bormio (art. 191) and subject to authorization, under penalty of a hefty fine due to all the effects and repercussions that a watercourse could have on the population (flooding, erosion of meadows or roads, water pollution, transit and access issues, etc.). Since it was also a complex project involving the entire citizenry, the Statutes provided for the appointment of two deputies with full authority to proceed with the work and, most importantly, to ensure that everyone paid the required fees for both the construction and maintenance. It was necessary to ensure that the flow was properly channeled or covered, that each citizen took care not to pollute it, that the owners of the land along which the water flowed kept it clean, and prevented any deviation from its usual course. The Statutes also prohibited using the fountains as a washing place or playing with the water. To address these prohibitions, over time, a second basin was added to the original fountain, so the first basin was designated for watering livestock and the second for washing clothes and vegetables.