imported>WikiForMen: "Dnepr Kachowkaer Stausee.png" -> "Lower reaches of the Dnieper - Kakhovka Reservoir.svg"

2025-03-25T10:15:55Z

"Dnepr Kachowkaer Stausee.png" -> "Lower reaches of the Dnieper - Kakhovka Reservoir.svg"

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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Kakhovka Reservoir
| image = Lower reaches of the Dnieper - Kakhovka Reservoir.svg
| caption = Map of the Kakhovka Reservoir
| image_bathymetry =
| caption_bathymetry =
| location = [[Kherson Oblast|Kherson]], [[Zaporizhzhia Oblast|Zaporizhzhia]] and [[Dnipropetrovsk Oblast|Dnipropetrovsk]] oblasts
| coords = {{Coord|47|30|N|34|15|E|region:UA_type:waterbody_scale:2000000|display=inline,title}}
| type = [[Hydroelectricity|Hydroelectric]] [[reservoir]]
| inflow = [[Dnieper|Dnieper River]]
| outflow = Dnieper River
| catchment =
| basin_countries = Ukraine
| length = {{cvt|240|km}}
| width = {{cvt|23|km}}
| area = {{cvt|2,155|km2}}
| depth = {{cvt|8.4|m}}
| max-depth = {{cvt|26|m}}
| volume = {{cvt|18.2|km3|acre.ft}}
| residence_time =
| shore =
| elevation = {{cvt|16|m}}
| frozen =
| islands =
| cities =
| module = {{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=7 |height= |width=305 |stroke-width=1 |stroke-color=#676669 |shape-fill-opacity=0.1 |coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
}}

The '''Kakhovka Reservoir''' ({{Langx |uk|Каховське водосховище|Kakhovs'ke vodoskhovyshche}}) was a water [[reservoir]] on the [[Dnieper|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 the [[Dnieper reservoir cascade]].

The dam was [[Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam|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.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} By the end of June, the reservoir was completely dry.

==Geography==
The reservoir covered a total area of {{cvt|2155|km2}} in the [[Kherson Oblast|Kherson]], [[Zaporizhzhia Oblast|Zaporizhzhia]], and [[Dnipropetrovsk Oblast|Dnipropetrovsk]] oblasts of Ukraine.<ref name=_1 /> It was {{cvt|240|km}} long and up to {{cvt|23|km}} wide. The depth varied from {{cvt|3|to|26|m|ft fathom}} and averaged {{cvt|8.4|m|ft fathom}}. The total water volume was {{cvt|18.2|km3}}. The Kakhovka dam has resulted in the natural water level of the Dnieper River being raised {{cvt|16|m}}.<ref name="Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group 2023">{{cite web |title=The consequences of the Russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) for wildlife - Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group |website=Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group |date=2023-06-07 |url=https://uncg.org.ua/en/the-consequences-of-the-russian-terrorist-attack-on-the-kakhovka-hydroelectric-power-station-hps-for-wildlife/ |access-date=2023-06-14 |archive-date=14 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614212314/https://uncg.org.ua/en/the-consequences-of-the-russian-terrorist-attack-on-the-kakhovka-hydroelectric-power-station-hps-for-wildlife/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Locals sometimes referred to the reservoir as the Kakhovka Sea ({{Langx |uk|Каховське море|Kakhovs'ke more}}) as the other side of the river bank could not be seen at some points.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ukraine dam: What we know about Nova Kakhovka incident|work=BBC News |date=2023-06-08|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65818705 |access-date=2023-06-23}}</ref>

It was used mainly to supply hydroelectric stations, the Krasnoznamianka Irrigation System, the [[Kakhovka Irrigation System]], industrial plants such as the 5.7 GW [[Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant]], freshwater fish farms, the [[North Crimean Canal]] and the [[Dnipro – Kryvyi Rih Canal]].<ref name=_2 /> Its creation formed a deep-water route for ships to sail up the Dnieper.

== History ==
{{Main article|Great Meadow, Ukraine}}
The reservoir's construction had submerged archaeological sites, including [[Scythians|Scythian]] pots and [[Cossacks|Cossack]] fortifications. Mykhailo Mulenko, head of the conservation department at the [[Khortytsia]] nature reserve, has argued that 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harding |first=Luke |last2=Mamo |first2=Alessio |date=2024-07-20 |title=Life returns to Ukrainian reservoir drained by Russian strike on dam |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/20/life-returns-to-ukrainian-reservoir-drained-by-russian-strike-on-dam |access-date=2024-07-20 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Russian invasion of Ukraine==
The Russia–Ukraine war has had a profound impact on water resources and water infrastructure.<ref name="Shumilova Tockner Sukhodolov Khilchevskyi 2023 p."/>

Beginning in early November 2022, following the start of the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Russia opened the spillways at 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 {{cvt|2|m|ft fathom}}.<ref name="NPR 2023" /> The purpose of the discharge was unclear. It could have been a way to harm Ukrainian agriculture, but most of the affected agricultural areas were in Russian-held parts of Ukraine as of early 2023.<ref name="NPR 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.<ref name="NPR 2023"/> After reaching a low point the water level began to rise after the Ukrainian government began filling it with water from other reservoirs on 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 (Ukraine)|Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources]].<ref name="NPR 2023a" />

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 a result, water washed over the top of the dam and land upstream of the dam was flooded.<ref name=AP_2023-05-25 /> Water levels in the reservoir reached a 30-year high.<ref name="The New York Times 2023">{{cite web |title=Ukraine and Russia Agree to Extend Black Sea Grain Deal |website=The New York Times |date=2023-05-17 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/05/17/world/russia-ukraine-news?name=styln-russia-ukraine®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Article&variant=undefined |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520100742/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/05/17/world/russia-ukraine-news?name=styln-russia-ukraine®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Article&variant=undefined |archive-date=2023-05-20 |url-status=live |access-date=2023-05-28}}</ref>

=== Dam destruction ===
{{main|Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam}}
[[File:Landsat Kakhivka Water Reservoir1.JPG|thumb|Landsat Kakhovka Water Reservoir]]
[[File:Kachovka-stuwmeer.png|thumb|Sentinel-2 L2A satellite image taken on 2023-07-15 and shown as True Colour (band 4,3,2). ]]
[[File:Kakhovka Reservoir Drys Up (MODIS).jpg|thumb|Satellite photo of the Kakhovka Reservoir on 8 August 2023, now completely dried up, revealing the [[Great Meadow, Ukraine|Great Meadow]].]]
In the early morning of 6 June 2023, a large section of the dam was destroyed, causing an uncontrolled release of water downstream.<ref name="dw_Kyiv_accuses_Russia">{{cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-updates-major-nova-kakhova-dam-reportedly-blown/a-65833125 |title=Ukraine: Kyiv accuses Russia of blowing up Kakhovka dam – DW – 06/06/2023 |website=[[Deutsche Welle]]}}</ref> Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for its destruction. The dam was under the control of Russian forces.<ref name="reuters_blame">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-it-thwarts-another-major-ukrainian-offensive-donetsk-2023-06-05/ |website=[[Reuters]] |title=Dam supplying water to Crimea blown up in southern Ukraine |date=6 June 2023 |last1=Lakezina |first1=Viktoriia |access-date=6 June 2023 |archive-date=6 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606112157/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-it-thwarts-another-major-ukrainian-offensive-donetsk-2023-06-05/ |url-status=live }}</ref> By 21 June, satellite images revealed that 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65963403|title=Ukraine dam: Satellite images reveal Kakhovka canals drying up|date=22 June 2023|website=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

Within months newly dry lakebed was quickly colonised by various plants, including [[Populus|poplars]] and [[willow]]s, creating varied habitats potentially reminiscent of the pre-dam forests and marshes. This rewilding has led to debate over whether 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.<ref name="Economist202406">{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/interactive/europe/2024/06/05/russias-explosion-of-a-huge-ukrainian-dam-had-surprising-effects |title=Russia's explosion of a huge Ukrainian dam had surprising effects |newspaper=The Economist |date=5 June 2024 |access-date=6 June 2024}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery style="text-align:center; align:center;" widths="200" heights="150">
File:Каховське водосховище світанок.jpg
File:Каховське водосховище.JPG
File:Каховське водосховище1.jpg
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[List of reservoirs by volume]]
*[[Energy in Ukraine]]
*[[Renewable energy in Ukraine]]
*[[Attack on Nova Kakhovka]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="_1">{{Cite web |title=КАХОВСЬКЕ ВОДОСХОВИЩЕ |trans-title=KAHOVSKY WATER RESERVOIR |url=https://leksika.com.ua/11500905/ure/kahovske_vodoshovische |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118032155/http://leksika.com.ua/11500905/ure/kahovske_vodoshovische |archive-date=18 November 2016 |access-date=2020-06-12 |website=leksika.com.ua}}</ref>
<ref name="_2">{{Cite book |url=http://esu.com.ua/search_articles.php?id=11146 |title=Каховське водосховище {{!}} Енциклопедія Сучасної України |work=esu.com.ua |isbn=9789660220744 |trans-title=Kakhov reservoir {{!}} Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine |access-date=2020-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612124922/http://esu.com.ua/search_articles.php?id=11146 |archive-date=12 June 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="NPR 2023">{{Cite web |date=6 February 2023 |title=Russia is draining a massive Ukrainian reservoir, endangering a nuclear plant |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10/1155761686/russia-is-draining-a-massive-ukrainian-reservoir-endangering-a-nuclear-plant |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215193433/https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10/1155761686/russia-is-draining-a-massive-ukrainian-reservoir-endangering-a-nuclear-plant |archive-date=15 February 2023 |access-date=13 February 2023 |website=NPR}}</ref>
<ref name="NPR 2023a">{{Cite web |date=2023-03-22 |title=A shrinking reservoir signals Ukraine and Russia are waging a dangerous water war |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/03/22/1164838051/ukraine-russia-war-kakhovka-reservoir |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413162134/https://www.npr.org/2023/03/22/1164838051/ukraine-russia-war-kakhovka-reservoir |archive-date=13 April 2023 |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=NPR}}</ref>
<ref name="Shumilova Tockner Sukhodolov Khilchevskyi 2023 p.">{{Cite journal |last1=Shumilova |first1=Oleksandra |title=Impact of the Russia–Ukraine armed conflict on water resources and water infrastructure |last2=Tockner |first2=Klement |last3=Sukhodolov |first3=Alexander |last4=Khilchevskyi |first4=Valentyn |last5=De Meester |first5=Luc |last6=Stepanenko |first6=Sergiy |last7=Trokhymenko |first7=Ganna |last8=Hernández-Agüero |first8=Juan Antonio |last9=Gleick |first9=Peter |date=2023-03-02 |journal=Nature Sustainability |publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC |volume=6 |pages=578–586 |doi=10.1038/s41893-023-01068-x |issue=5 |s2cid=257327536|doi-access=free }}</ref>
<ref name="AP_2023-05-25">{{Cite web |last1=Vasilisa Stepanenko |last2=Lori Hinnant |date=2023-05-25 |title=Damage to Russian-occupied dam submerges Ukrainian reservoir island community |url=https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-nuclear-dnipro-river-flood-df2aaa99cab8b0e0d7a4b26bd77cad0f |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525083054/https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-nuclear-dnipro-river-flood-df2aaa99cab8b0e0d7a4b26bd77cad0f |archive-date=25 May 2023 |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=apnews.com |publisher=[[Associated Press|AP News]] |quote=Since mid-February, the water level in the reservoir has steadily increased, according to data from Theia, a French geospatial analytical organization. An Associated Press analysis of satellite imagery showed the water has now risen so high that it’s washing over the top of the damaged Russian-occupied dam downstream.}}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
{{Commonscat|Kakhovka Reservoir}}

{{Dnieper}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kakhovka Reservoir| ]]
[[Category:Reservoirs in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Former reservoirs]]
[[Category:Geography of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast]]
[[Category:Geography of Zaporizhzhia Oblast]]
[[Category:Geography of Kherson Oblast]]
[[Category:Reservoirs built in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:1956 establishments in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:1956 establishments in Ukraine]]
[[Category:2023 disestablishments in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Infrastructure completed in 1956]]
[[Category:Reservoirs of the Dnieper]]

Kakhovka Reservoir - Revision history

imported>WikiForMen: "Dnepr Kachowkaer Stausee.png" -> "Lower reaches of the Dnieper - Kakhovka Reservoir.svg"