Zeya Reservoir, Reservoir in Amur Oblast, Russia

Zeya Reservoir is a large body of water on the Zeya River in Amur Oblast, Russia. It stretches from the dam near the town of Zeya far upstream, narrowing to a canyon-like channel through the Tukuringra range before opening into a wide basin in the Upper Zeya depression.

The reservoir was created by the dam of the Zeya hydroelectric station, built in the 1960s and 1970s at a narrow gorge known as the Zeya Gates. Filling took place between 1974 and 1980, and several villages were relocated to higher ground.

Along the northern shore, the Baikal-Amur Mainline crosses the reservoir on a long railway bridge between the settlements of Verkhnezeysk and Gorny. The reservoir is also known for its fishing culture, with local anglers catching pike and crucian carp in the bays and shallows.

The reservoir is best reached by road from the town of Zeya, which serves as the main gateway for supplies and local transport. Visitors should plan for cold weather even in summer, as the water keeps the surrounding air cool, and ice covers the surface for much of the year.

The reservoir holds the third largest volume of water in Russia, after the Bratsk and Krasnoyarsk reservoirs. In winter, the ice can grow more than 4 feet (1.2 meters) thick, and the reservoir's fish population has shifted dramatically since the river was dammed.