Kakhovka Reservoir, Reservoir in Ukraine
Kakhovka Reservoir was a reservoir on the Dnieper River in Ukraine, created in 1956 by the Kakhovka Dam at Nova Kakhovka. It covered 2,155 km² across Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, was 240 km long and up to 23 km wide, and averaged 8.4 m deep. Its water fed the North Crimean Canal and the Dnipro–Kryvyi Rih Canal and formed a deep-water route up the Dnieper.
The reservoir was created in 1956 with the construction of the Kakhovka Dam, which flooded large stretches of land along the Dnipro. In June 2023, the dam was destroyed during the war in Ukraine, causing a rapid drop in water levels and severe flooding downstream.
For decades, the reservoir was where people from the surrounding towns came to fish, swim, and spend time on the water. The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023 changed the way local communities relate to this place.
Since the dam was destroyed in 2023, the water levels have dropped significantly and large parts of the former shoreline are now exposed mudflats or wetlands. Anyone planning to visit the area should check the current security situation carefully, as the region is affected by an active conflict.
Before the dam was destroyed, the reservoir stretched over 125 miles (200 km) and was one of the largest inland water bodies in Europe. After the 2023 breach, the exposed lake bed began to rapidly transform into new wetlands, quickly colonized by waterbirds and other wildlife.
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