Akhurian Reservoir (; ) is a
reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
on the
Akhurian River between
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
and
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
.
The reservoir has a surface area of 54 km
2 and a volume of 525 million cubic meters.
It is one of the largest reservoirs in the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
, although smaller than the
Mingachevir reservoir and the
Shamkir reservoir in Azerbaijan.
Its water is used for irrigation in Armenia's
Aragatsotn,
Armavir and
Shirak provinces.
Its water is used in Turkey for irrigation (70000 ha agricultural area) in the provinces of
Kars and
Ardahan.
Foundation
On April 25, 1963, Turkey and the Soviet Union (which Armenia was part of at the time) signed an agreement on constructing a dam on Akhurian River and regulating the flow of four rivers into the reservoir.
It was built between 1975 and 1980
and began to be operated in 1980.
Pollution
According to Armenian researchers, "the water system is polluted with heavy metals and different toxic materials."
References
External links
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{{Lakes of Turkey
Lakes of Armenia
Reservoirs in Turkey
Landforms of Kars Province
Geography of Shirak Province
Kars District
Akyaka District
International lakes of Asia
Armenia–Turkey border
Reservoirs in Armenia