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
The Akhuryan () or Arpachay () is a river in the South Caucasus. It originates in Armenia and flows from Lake Arpi, along the closed border with Turkey, forming part of the geographic border between the two states, until it flows into the Aras ...
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 km2 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
The Mingachevir reservoir () (also known as the Mingachevir sea ()) is a large reservoir on the Kura river in northwestern Azerbaijan. It supplies water to the Upper Karabakh and Upper Shirvan channels, and is used for electricity generation, i ...
and the
Shamkir reservoir
The Shamkir reservoir () is a large reservoir built on the Kura (Caspian Sea), Kura River in the Shamkir Rayon of northwestern Azerbaijan. It is the
second-largest reservoir in the Caucasus after the Mingachevir reservoir, also in northwestern Azer ...
in Azerbaijan.
Its water is used for irrigation in Armenia's
Aragatsotn
Aragatsotn (, ) is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the western part of the country. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Ashtarak. The Statistical Committee of Armenia reported its population was 128, ...
, Armavir and Shirak provinces. Its water is used in Turkey for irrigation (70000 ha agricultural area) in the provinces of
Kars
Kars ( or ; ; ) is a city in northeast Turkey. It is the seat of Kars Province and Kars District. ...
and
Ardahan
Ardahan ( ka, არტაანი, tr; ; Russian: Ардаган) is a city in northeastern Turkey, near the Georgian border. It is the seat of Ardahan Province and Ardahan District.
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."