The Pasarel
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
and
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 ...
is located 20 km to the southeast of
Sofia
Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
at an altitude of 700 m.
The dam is situated roughly halfway between the
Iskar Reservoir
The Iskar Reservoir (язовир „Искър“) is the largest reservoir in Bulgaria. Situated on the Iskar River, it provides two-third of the water for the capital Sofia, and also produces hydroelectricity.
The reservoir has a total volume ...
and
Lake Pancharevo
Lake Pancharevo (Панчаревско езеро, ''Pancharevsko ezero'' or Язовир Панчарево, ''Pancharevo Reservoir'') is an artificial lake in western Bulgaria, at the end of the Pancharevo Gorge of the Iskar River.
It is ...
near the village of
Dolni Pasarel. Though built in the
Iskar Iskar may refer to:
;Bulgaria
* Iskar (river), a river in western Bulgaria
* Iskar Reservoir, situated on the Iskar River
* Iskar (town), a town in the Iskar Municipality of the Pleven Province
* Iskar Municipality
* Iskar, Sofia, one of 24 munici ...
valley, under most circumstances, the primary inflow come from the
tailwater
Tailwater refers to waters located immediately downstream from a hydraulic structure, such as a dam, spillway, bridge or culvert. Generally measured and reported as the average water depth downstream of a hydraulic structure, tailwater can vary ba ...
of a co-located hydroelectric plant (which is in turn is fed from a long, underground
penstock
A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. The term is of Scots origin, and was inherited from the earlier technology of mill pond ...
from the Iskar Reservoir.) Likewise, in most cases, the majority of its outflow goes into another long penstock to the hydroelectric plant at the southern end of Lake Pancharevo. The reservoir itself is small (about 1.5 km long and 300 m wide), but still attracts visitors to the area.
Near to the Pasarel dam, in the village of Dolni Pasarel, is located the "St. Peter and Pavel" monastery.
Reservoirs in Bulgaria
Landforms of Sofia Province
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