The Historical Significance of Water

The first settlers used water power to run their mills, stamping mills and saw mills.  The first time the use of water power is officially documented was in 1494.  The first power plants were erected in Tschagguns as early as the end of the 19th century.  The first big power station was the Gampadels power station which is fed from Gampadels Brook, over the Bitschweil Reservoir.  It started running in 1924.
The Vorarlberg Ill Power Plant Corp. expanded it by building the Oberstufe Ill power station, the Luener lake power plant, Rodund I and Rodund II and the Walgau power station.  Expansion and running the new power stations brought employment to many of the valley locals.  Up until then, many of the people from Montafon had to try their luck as seasonal workers with jobs like cabbage picking, or as scythe mongers or plasterers in Swabia in Germany to as far away as France. 
The valley, which, up until then was almost totally reliant on farming, experienced a significant economic boom, since running these plants meant that a number of experts had to be brought in from other parts of Austria as well as from foreign countries.