Trinoga

Trinoga foundation is an organisation based in the village of Zhelen, Svoge district, Bulgaria. Trinoga is sometimes described as an ecovillage, synonymous with Zhelen or hamlet of Cherni Kamuk although this is inaccurate, as the majority of people living in Cherni Kamuk and the rest of Zhelen are not affiliated with Trinoga. Trinoga attracts a large number of visitors every year, many of whom help with projects, such as the "spring zone project"

Spring zone project

The Trinoga spring zone plan was advertised on the trinoga website as a Permaculture project to regenerate dry springs in the area. In 2011 pine trees were cleared by volunteers from the "spring zone" a large pit was dug allegedly in the location of an underground spring. No water was found at the location. The following year more digging was done and a ditch was dug allegedly to channel rain water into the pit. A second pit was dug and a 5 tonne reservoir was installed. Permission had been obtained for this from the municipality, on the understanding that the tank was for rain water.

The excavations also uncovered the main water pipe for Cherni Kamuk. This pipe carries water from a small concrete RESERVOIR, fed by pipes from a spring 4 km away. The system had been built by local residents in the 1970s. New 40mm connections were made on the water pipe, and existing connections were rearranged to restrict water supplies to houses below. The new reservoir was connected to the water pipes. The area has water shortages in summer and water rationing, based on the principle that each house has a 1/2 inch connection to the water system and a moderate amount of storage capacity.

Filip Kirilov, the only permanent resident and de facto boss of Trinoga continued to insist that the work was permaculture, rainwater harvesting and spring regeneration. 34 local residents signed a letter of protest to the mayor of Svoge

References

2. www.trinogo.weebly.com