Ivaylovgrad reservoir, reservoir in Haskovo oblast, Bulgaria
The Ivaylovgrad Reservoir is a reservoir on the lower Arda River in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains of southern Bulgaria, held back by a concrete gravity dam 73 m high and 365 m long. The dam's crest carries the III-597 road, and the spillway face is divided into smooth bays ending in rounded, scalloped shapes. The reservoir has a 64 km shoreline, largely covered with broadleaf forest.
Built between 1959 and 1964 as the third and final step of the Arda Hydropower Cascade, the dam submerged four villages. A much larger version damming over 1 billion m³ was rejected because it would have flooded the working Madzharovo mines; a later plan to add a nuclear plant was dropped due to the region's proximity to the Greek and Turkish borders.
The reservoir is named after the town of Ivaylovgrad. It hosts the finish of the national canoe-kayak regatta every year in early June, and its waters hold catfish, carp, zander, perch, mullet, roach and bleak, which draws anglers.
A main road crosses the dam and gives a direct view over the water from both sides, making it easy to get a sense of the scale. Footpaths along the banks are simple to follow and are best visited in the morning or late afternoon when the light is softer.
The reservoir's shoreline runs 64 km and is mostly covered with dense deciduous forests. The surrounding territory is an Important Bird Area designated by BirdLife International, supporting 163 bird species, including breeding populations of European importance of white-tailed eagle, booted eagle and osprey.
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