Lake Durusu (also called Lake Terkos or Targus) is a lake in

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

region of Turkey. It would be eliminated by the planned Istanbul Canal.

Description

The lake lies in İstanbul Province. The midpoint of the lake is at about . It is situated to the north west of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

and its distance to the city is . Its elevation with respect to sea level is about and its maximum depth is . The surface area is . Depending on the rainfall, this lake with a 162 million m³ of the water potential satisfies approximately 20% of the water needs of Istanbul and surrounding settlements. Lake Durusu was originally a lagoon and it is separated from the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

coast by a wide strip. Currently there is no connection to the sea and it is a fresh water lake fed by a number of creeks the most important one being the Istrance creek. The drainage basin is .Eodev page
/ref> The annual water supply capacity of the lake is .

History

It is known that the history of village where the lake is located is about 900 years old. The area around the lake was a pirates' settlement in the medieval ages. A monastery named ''Trikos'' was built by the Genoese. In the 19th century the lake was used as the main water source of

. In 1868 the concession of the lake and its environment was granted to an Ottoman - French company.

Facilities

In order to solve the water problem of

in the 19th century, samples had been taken from here. The researches showed that lake Durusu is a drinking water source. So, facilities were built for paying the water needs in this region. Thus, part one fifth of İstanbul inhabitants use this lake for drinking water.

References

{{Lakes of Turkey

Durusu Durusu or Terkos (, ''Derkos''; also Δέλκη ''Delke'', Δέλκος ''Delkos'', and Δέρκοι ''Derkoi'') is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Arnavutköy, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 746 (2022). It lies ...

Landforms of Istanbul Province Important Bird Areas of Turkey