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19-740: The reservoir is 110 km in length, 12 km in width, has a depth of four to eight meters, a volume of 3.7 km (0.89 cu mi), and a usable volume of 1.2 km (0.29 cu mi). The reservoir, together with the Kakhovka Reservoir , the Dnieper Reservoir , the Kamianske Reservoir , the Kremenchuk Reservoir , and the Kaniv Reservoir , has created a deep-water route on

38-430: A result, water washed over the top of the dam and land upstream of the dam was flooded. Water levels in the reservoir reached a 30-year high. In the early morning of 6 June 2023, a large section of the dam was destroyed, causing an uncontrolled release of water downstream. Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for its destruction. The dam was under the control of Russian forces. By 21 June, satellite images revealed that

57-488: A total area of 2,155 km (832 sq mi) in the Kherson , Zaporizhzhia , and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts of Ukraine. It was 240 km (150 mi) long and up to 23 km (14 mi) wide. The depth varied from 3 to 26 m (9.8 to 85.3 ft; 1.6 to 14.2 fathoms) and averaged 8.4 m (28 ft; 4.6 fathoms). The total water volume was 18.2 km (4.4 cu mi). The Kakhovka dam has resulted in

76-536: Is an irrigation system in southern Ukraine . With a total irrigation area of 780,000 hectares (1,900,000 acres), it is the largest irrigation system in the entire country. In 1951, construction began for the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant , which created the Kakhovka Reservoir and provided a water source for local irrigation. By 1967, construction for an irrigation system began, and different sections began operation throughout

95-465: The Chernobyl disaster . Like all Dnieper reservoirs , Kyiv Reservoir poses potential threat of tremendous flooding if its dam is destroyed. Moreover, it contains additional major threat – after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, radionuclides washed away by rains badly contaminated the bottom silt of the reservoir. During the years following the disaster, there were suggestions to drain

114-615: The Dnieper reservoir cascade . The dam was breached on 6 June 2023 , which consensus attributes to Russian forces mining and blowing the base of the dam, while Russia alternatively described it as a "terrorist" act, in the case of the Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, or as caused by a lack of maintenance, in the case of the Russian government. By the end of June, the reservoir was completely dry. The reservoir covered

133-516: The Soviet Union deliberately submerged these sites to erase Ukraine's pre-Russian history. These sites have re-emerged after the dam was breached and the reservoir was drained. The Russia–Ukraine war has had a profound impact on water resources and water infrastructure. Beginning in early November 2022, following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine , Russia opened the spillways at

152-471: The 1970s. The irrigation system all begin at the Kakhovka Reservoir , where it flows south before diverging into different areas. The entire system includes many interconnected canals, such as the Kakhovka Canal , and it provides water for crops across much of Kherson Oblast . Because of the vast size of the irrigation system, there are 16 pumping stations throughout the canals. This includes

171-670: The 5.7 GW Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant , freshwater fish farms, the North Crimean Canal and the Dnipro – Kryvyi Rih Canal . Its creation formed a deep-water route for ships to sail up the Dnieper. The reservoir's construction had submerged archaeological sites, including Scythian pots and Cossack fortifications. Mykhailo Mulenko, head of the conservation department at the Khortytsia nature reserve, has argued that

190-535: The Dnipro River. "All of this poses a threat of lowering the water level to a critical level throughout the whole cascade of Dnipro reservoirs in Ukraine," said Ukraine's Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources . From mid-February to late May 2023, either deliberately or as a result of neglect, the damaged dam at Nova Kakhovka was not adjusted to match the seasonal increase in water flow. As

209-623: The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant and the reservoir dropped to its lowest level in thirty years, putting at risk irrigation and drinking water resources as well as the coolant systems for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant . From 1 December 2022 to 6 February 2023, the water level dropped 2 m (6.6 ft; 1.1 fathoms). The purpose of the discharge was unclear. It could have been a way to harm Ukrainian agriculture, but most of

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228-549: The affected agricultural areas were in Russian-held parts of Ukraine as of early 2023. The Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration suggested that the motive might have been in part to flood the area south of the dam in order to keep Ukrainian Forces from crossing the Dnipro River. After reaching a low point the water level began to rise after the Ukrainian government began filling it with water from other reservoirs on

247-497: The dam and reservoir should be reconstructed in full, altered to a series of smaller dams and reservoirs, or left as is. In March 2024 a law was passed prohibiting the construction of anything bar the original purpose on the former reservoir, a law which is written to remain in effect until five years after the end of martial law. Kakhovka Irrigation System The Kakhovka Irrigation System ( Ukrainian : Каховська зрошувальна система ; Russian : Каховская оросительная система )

266-583: The dam were to fail, flooding could destroy "the entire left bank of Kyiv". Kakhovka Reservoir The Kakhovka Reservoir ( Ukrainian : Каховське водосховище , romanized :  Kakhovs'ke vodoskhovyshche ) was a water reservoir on the Dnieper River in Ukraine . It was created in 1956 by construction of the Kakhovka Dam at Nova Kakhovka . It was one of several reservoirs in

285-536: The dam's safety. However, serious concerns were raised in 2005, when a fake terrorist alert was made. Worries about possible destruction arose again in February 2022 during the Kyiv offensive . Russian forces took control of the power plant on 25 or 26 February. Ukrainian forces recaptured it on 26 February. It was claimed that Ukrainian air defenses intercepted a missile flying towards the dam. Interfax stated that if

304-739: The natural water level of the Dnieper River being raised 16 m (52 ft). Locals sometimes referred to the reservoir as the Kakhovka Sea ( Ukrainian : Каховське море , romanized :  Kakhovs'ke more ) as the other side of the river bank could not be seen at some points. It was used mainly to supply hydroelectric stations, the Krasnoznamianka Irrigation System, the Kakhovka Irrigation System , industrial plants such as

323-404: The reservoir because it was too shallow. It appeared that, if done, this might have created the threat of radioactive dust travelling by wind, possibly affecting Europe. A similar threat was permanently discussed regarding the potential destruction of the dam (by natural accident, terrorism or war). But the authorities continued to dismiss such dangers as unreal, claiming to be in full control of

342-463: The reservoir had significantly dried up, exposing shallower parts, revealing the original course of the Dnipro and leading to the disconnection of four canal networks. Within months newly dry lakebed was quickly colonised by various plants, including poplars and willows , creating varied habitats potentially reminiscent of the pre-dam forests and marshes. This rewilding has led to debate over whether

361-437: The river. However, its creation has also contributed to significant environmental problems such as the diminished flow velocity which reduces water oxygenation, and has a negative result on the balance of aquatic life forms. Also, some nearby villages were flooded when it filled. One of these was Teremtsi , where the residents of the village persuaded Soviet authorities to let them stay, only to be evacuated later in 1986 during

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