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Kakhovka Reservoir

Coordinates: 47°30′N 34°15′E / 47.500°N 34.250°E / 47.500; 34.250
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Kakhovka Reservoir
Map of the Kakhovka Reservoir
LocationKherson, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts
Coordinates47°30′N 34°15′E / 47.500°N 34.250°E / 47.500; 34.250
TypeHydroelectric reservoir
Primary inflowsDnieper River
Primary outflowsDnieper River
Basin countriesUkraine
Max. length240 km (150 mi)
Max. width23 km (14 mi)
Surface area2,155 km2 (832 sq mi)
Average depth8.4 m (28 ft)
Max. depth26 m (85 ft)
Water volume18.2 km3 (14,800,000 acre⋅ft)
Surface elevation16 m (52 ft)
Map

The Kakhovka Reservoir (Ukrainian: Каховське водосховище, romanized: Kakhovs'ke vodoskhovyshche) was a water reservoir on the Dnieper River in Ukraine. It was created in 1956 by construction of the Kakhovka Dam at Nova Kakhovka. It was one of several reservoirs in the Dnieper reservoir cascade.

The dam was breached on 6 June 2023, which consensus attributes to Russian forces mining and blowing the base of the dam, while Russia alternatively described it as a "terrorist" act, in the case of the Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, or as caused by a lack of maintenance, in the case of the Russian government.[citation needed] By the end of June, the reservoir was completely dry.

Geography

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The reservoir covered a total area of 2,155 km2 (832 sq mi) in the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts of Ukraine.[1] It was 240 km (150 mi) long and up to 23 km (14 mi) wide. The depth varied from 3 to 26 m (9.8 to 85.3 ft; 1.6 to 14.2 fathoms) and averaged 8.4 m (28 ft; 4.6 fathoms). The total water volume was 18.2 km3 (4.4 cu mi). The Kakhovka dam has resulted in the natural water level of the Dnieper River being raised 16 m (52 ft).[2] Locals sometimes referred to the reservoir as the Kakhovka Sea (Ukrainian: Каховське море, romanized: Kakhovs'ke more) as the other side of the river bank could not be seen at some points.[3]

It was used mainly to supply hydroelectric stations, the Krasnoznamianka Irrigation System, the Kakhovka Irrigation System, industrial plants such as the 5.7 GW Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, freshwater fish farms, the North Crimean Canal and the Dnipro – Kryvyi Rih Canal.[4] Its creation formed a deep-water route for ships to sail up the Dnieper.

History

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Main article: Great Meadow, Ukraine

The reservoir's construction had submerged archaeological sites, including Scythian pots and Cossack fortifications. Mykhailo Mulenko, head of the conservation department at the Khortytsia nature reserve, has argued that the Soviet Union deliberately submerged these sites to erase Ukraine's pre-Russian history. These sites have re-emerged after the dam was breached and the reservoir was drained.[5]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

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The Russia–Ukraine war has had a profound impact on water resources and water infrastructure.[6]

Beginning in early November 2022, following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia opened the spillways at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant and the reservoir dropped to its lowest level in thirty years, putting at risk irrigation and drinking water resources as well as the coolant systems for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. From 1 December 2022 to 6 February 2023, the water level dropped 2 m (6.6 ft; 1.1 fathoms).[7] The purpose of the discharge was unclear. It could have been a way to harm Ukrainian agriculture, but most of the affected agricultural areas were in Russian-held parts of Ukraine as of early 2023.[7] The Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration suggested that the motive might have been in part to flood the area south of the dam in order to keep Ukrainian Forces from crossing the Dnipro River.[7] After reaching a low point the water level began to rise after the Ukrainian government began filling it with water from other reservoirs on the Dnipro River. "All of this poses a threat of lowering the water level to a critical level throughout the whole cascade of Dnipro reservoirs in Ukraine," said Ukraine's Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.[8]

From mid-February to late May 2023, either deliberately or as a result of neglect, the damaged dam at Nova Kakhovka was not adjusted to match the seasonal increase in water flow. As a result, water washed over the top of the dam and land upstream of the dam was flooded.[9] Water levels in the reservoir reached a 30-year high.[10]

Dam destruction

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Main article: Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam
Landsat Kakhovka Water Reservoir
Sentinel-2 L2A satellite image taken on 2023-07-15 and shown as True Colour (band 4,3,2).
Satellite photo of the Kakhovka Reservoir on 8 August 2023, now completely dried up, revealing the Great Meadow.

In the early morning of 6 June 2023, a large section of the dam was destroyed, causing an uncontrolled release of water downstream.[11] Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for its destruction. The dam was under the control of Russian forces.[12] By 21 June, satellite images revealed that the reservoir had significantly dried up, exposing shallower parts, revealing the original course of the Dnipro and leading to the disconnection of four canal networks.[13]

Within months newly dry lakebed was quickly colonised by various plants, including poplars and willows, creating varied habitats potentially reminiscent of the pre-dam forests and marshes. This rewilding has led to debate over whether the dam and reservoir should be reconstructed in full, altered to a series of smaller dams and reservoirs, or left as is. In March 2024 a law was passed prohibiting the construction of anything bar the original purpose on the former reservoir, a law which is written to remain in effect until five years after the end of martial law.[14]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "КАХОВСЬКЕ ВОДОСХОВИЩЕ" [KAHOVSKY WATER RESERVOIR]. leksika.com.ua. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  2. ^ "The consequences of the Russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) for wildlife - Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group". Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Ukraine dam: What we know about Nova Kakhovka incident". BBC News. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  4. ^ Каховське водосховище | Енциклопедія Сучасної України [Kakhov reservoir | Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine]. ISBN 9789660220744. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Harding, Luke; Mamo, Alessio (20 July 2024). "Life returns to Ukrainian reservoir drained by Russian strike on dam". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  6. ^ Shumilova, Oleksandra; Tockner, Klement; Sukhodolov, Alexander; Khilchevskyi, Valentyn; De Meester, Luc; Stepanenko, Sergiy; Trokhymenko, Ganna; Hernández-Agüero, Juan Antonio; Gleick, Peter (2 March 2023). "Impact of the Russia–Ukraine armed conflict on water resources and water infrastructure". Nature Sustainability. 6 (5). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 578–586. doi:10.1038/s41893-023-01068-x. S2CID 257327536.
  7. ^ a b c "Russia is draining a massive Ukrainian reservoir, endangering a nuclear plant". NPR. 6 February 2023. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  8. ^ "A shrinking reservoir signals Ukraine and Russia are waging a dangerous water war". NPR. 22 March 2023. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  9. ^ Vasilisa Stepanenko; Lori Hinnant (25 May 2023). "Damage to Russian-occupied dam submerges Ukrainian reservoir island community". apnews.com. AP News. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023. Since mid-February, the water level in the reservoir has steadily increased, according to data from Theia, a French geospatial analytical organization. An Associated Press analysis of satellite imagery showed the water has now risen so high that it's washing over the top of the damaged Russian-occupied dam downstream.
  10. ^ "Ukraine and Russia Agree to Extend Black Sea Grain Deal". The New York Times. 17 May 2023. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Ukraine: Kyiv accuses Russia of blowing up Kakhovka dam – DW – 06/06/2023". Deutsche Welle.
  12. ^ Lakezina, Viktoriia (6 June 2023). "Dam supplying water to Crimea blown up in southern Ukraine". Reuters. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Ukraine dam: Satellite images reveal Kakhovka canals drying up". BBC. 22 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Russia's explosion of a huge Ukrainian dam had surprising effects". The Economist. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
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