Chirkey reservoir in Dagestan: description, fishing, photo

The Chirkey reservoir is the largest reservoir in the North Caucasus. It is located on the Sulak River in the Dagestan Republic. The reservoir is located at a distance of 140 km from the confluence of this water flow and the Caspian Sea. The date of foundation is 1974. During the creation, several nearby agricultural lands and settlements were flooded: the village of Chirkey and the special settlement of the builders of the Druzhba hydroelectric power station. On the map, the reservoir can be found at the following coordinates: 42 ° 58 'N and 46 ° 53' E.

Characteristic

The Chirkey reservoir in Dagestan covers an area of 42.5 square kilometers. Its shoreline is heavily indented, in places there are canyons and caves. Numerous bays and bays cut into low mountain formations. The reservoir is located in the narrow gorge of the Sulak River. Local scenic landscapes are remotely reminiscent of the fjords of Norway.

The useful volume of the reservoir is 1.32 km ³ . The length of the coastline is more than 85 km. In the length of the reservoir stretched for 37.5 km, and the distance between the opposite banks on average is 7 km. The maximum depth of this largest Dagestan reservoir is fixed at 270 m. On the coast there is the Chirkey Aul, which gave the name to this reservoir, and the village of Dubki. The zone in which it is located is seismically active. Oscillations sometimes reach 9 points. The facility is used for water supply and fishery purposes.

Seasonal features

With the onset of cold weather, the reservoir level drops noticeably. This continues until the spring period. And by the summer it rises again. Chirkey reservoir, a photo of which can be seen in the article, significantly changed the flow of water and reduced the amount of sediment on the river. Sulak. Previously, turbidity of water was more than 3 kg / m ³ , now this figure does not exceed 1 kg / m ³ .

The reservoir carries out daily, seasonal and long-term regulation of water drains. In summer and autumn, intense waves, wind and runoff currents are observed here. The reservoir does not freeze in winter, the temperature in it rarely drops below +3 ° С. Given the climatic features of the territory where Dagestan is located, the water begins to warm up already in April. In summer the temperature reaches +23 ° С. Rainfall here is not more than 350-380 mm.

Undersea world

In this largest Chirkey reservoir there are 23 species of different algae. The natural underwater fauna has never been abundant here, therefore, not only fish, but also crayfish have been artificially introduced here. Today in the Dagestan pond there are such species as carp, barbel, trout, perch, chub. Fishing in the Chirkey reservoir is very popular.

In addition, this largest North Caucasian reservoir is regularly subjected to the procedure of artificial fish stocking. Mostly introduced here are several species of trout. Despite the fact that fishing is very popular here (mainly carried out with swimming means), there are no recreation centers and camps on the coasts. Tourists and locals who want to rest and fish on this artificial pond stay for the night in tents.

Ecological situation

Human activities led to sad situations - cutting down forests that in the past surrounded the Chirkey reservoir. And it's not vandalism at all, but that it was decided to make these areas more civilized and to erect new settlements in the places of destroyed green spaces. However, this was not enough. Due to the fact that there were no heating systems running on blue fuel, the local population had to collect firewood to heat their homes. All this led to a significant deterioration of the ecological situation, for example, to soil erosion processes, landslides. But not everything is so sad, because visually some of the natural landscapes are preserved and unusually pleasing to the eyes.

Flora and fauna of the region

The Chirkey reservoir is surrounded by various representatives of the flora. Most of all there are desert bushes, wormwood, meadow grass, saltwort. And along the nearby steppes can be seen feather grass and immortelle. And among the animals living on the coasts of the largest North Caucasian reservoir, reptiles are most often found. Snakes live in the mountains, as their slopes are illuminated by the sun's rays. Among them, most often there are already, gyurza and skid. In addition to snakes, here live some species of local lizards and turtles.

The Chirkey reservoir has become home to many representatives of birds. Among them there are both predators and waterfowl. Some birds fly here for the winter. In this area you can see the species that are listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Dagestan. And among mammals in the nearby territories live wild boars, foxes, ground squirrels, hares.

Finally

It is located high in the mountains of the Chirkey reservoir. Rest here, as they say, wild, without any blessings of civilization. Currently, the facility is intended to meet energy needs, as well as for industrial water supply to settlements of Dagestan, including used for irrigation of agricultural land. You can get to this reservoir by car. Road in the form of a streamer, narrow enough. For those who do not have a car, it is recommended to take buses. You need to get to the village of Dubki, and from there - by taxi to the pond.