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Originally formed by the interaction of Adriatic tidal currents and the waters of several Alpine rivers (Piave, Sile, Bacchiglione, and Brenta), the lagoon has always been crucial to the survival of Venice. Its mud banks, shallows, and channels are a source of income from marine and bird life and from salt pans. The lagoon has served as protection (the Venetians defeated the Genoese in 1380 through their superior knowledge of the navigable channels) and as a natural sewerage system, with the tides flushing out the city’s canals twice daily. But the lagoon requires careful husbandry to prevent it from threatening ...(100 of 9437 words)