Yeruham lake, reservoir in Israel

Yeruham Lake is a water reservoir located in the town of Yeruham in the Negev region. The lake is surrounded by a park featuring picnic areas, walking paths, and flat terrain suitable for visitors of various mobility levels.

The dam was built in the first half of the 1950s as part of a national experimental project that tested nine storage lakes across Israel; construction by Tahal began in summer 1952 and lasted just over a year. The first stage created a reservoir of about one million cubic metres, and later stages meant to enlarge it were never carried out. Water reached the fields of Kibbutz Mashabei Sadeh from May 1955 until the end of 1981, irregularly, and the lake passed from Mekorot to the Yeruham local council only in the early 2000s.

The lake and adjacent Yeruham Park host an annual BioBlitz since 2014, and the Duchifat center runs a bird-ringing station there. The reservoir and park draw birdwatchers, especially during migration, when waterfowl and desert species pass through.

The lake lies west of Yeruham, inside the town's municipal area, in the Yeruham valley where Nahal Revivim leaves the valley and cuts west into the Yeruham ridge. The dam stands just below the confluence of Nahal Revivim, Nahal Yeruham and Nahal Shualim. A day camp, recreation facilities and bicycle trails were built beside it in the Yeruham Park.

The lake and adjacent Yeruham Park form an ecological site where many plant and animal species live; it draws birdwatchers for its waterfowl, desert birds and migrating species. The Duchifat center runs a bird-ringing station here, and a BioBlitz survey has been held every year since 2014.