Modračko jezero

Modračko Jezero
	Aerial view of the reservoir
Geographical location	Lukavac municipality in the canton of Tuzla ( Bosnia and Herzegovina )
Tributaries	Spreča , Turija
Drain	Spreča
Location close to the shore	Lukavac
	Data
Coordinates	44 ° 30 ′ N , 18 ° 31 ′ E Coordinates: 44 ° 30 ′ N , 18 ° 31 ′ E
Altitude above sea level	200 m
surface	17 km²
length	11 km
width	1.6 km
Maximum depth	20 m
Middle deep	5 m

The Modračko jezero ( Modrac Lake ) is an artificially created lake on the shore of the same name in the municipality of Lukavac in the canton of Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina .

geography

At the Lakeshore

The reservoir lies on a plain, which is surrounded by wooded ridges with a height of 300 to 400 meters above sea level. The plain is formed by the Spreča and Turija rivers and was previously mainly used for agriculture.

General

The Modračko jezero is a reservoir that was built in 1964 on the Spreča. For many years it served as a mere water reservoir primarily for the water requirements of the surrounding industrial plants. Over time, the lake was given other tasks such as drinking water storage and local recreation. After the Bosnian War , the water was heavily polluted, which was mainly caused by the growing settlement and economic use in the region. This has meanwhile led to bathing bans on the lake. As a result of this emergency, a law for the protection of the lake was passed in 2006 and water restoration was initiated.

Emergence

The region's cyclical water scarcity and general groundwater scarcity as a result of the regional climate became increasingly problematic in the early industrial period of Yugoslavia . In the course of the increased water demand of the heavy industry in surrounding cities such as Tuzla and Živinice , the Modrac lake was finally created with the construction of a dam on the Spreča river in 1964.

use

Today the lake is mainly used for tourism, although it still serves to supply water to surrounding industrial plants and cities. It also serves as a compensation basin in heavy rain and regulates the level of the lower reaches of the Spreča. It is very accessible from the bank and very popular with fishermen. After the Bosnian War, tourism developed on the shores of the lake and a number of restaurants, pubs and hostels emerged. Concerts as well as cultural events and festivals are also held regularly at the lake.

Fishing and angling

The lake is popular with fishermen and anglers, not least because of its abundance of fish and good accessibility.

fauna

There is an abundance of fish in the lake, especially because fishing is strictly regulated and, since 1995, the ecology of the lake has been increasingly protected and monitored by local fishing associations. The most common are pike and carp . But also bream , Mairenken , pikeperch and river catfish have become more and more common in recent years. Nevertheless, the water body suffers from pollution from sewage, which endangers the fish stocks and heavily pollutes the lake's entire ecosystem.

Water quality

Even during the times of socialist Yugoslavia, the water quality of the lake was not particularly high. However, this deteriorated drastically after the Bosnian War. Industrial wastewater, municipal wastewater and illegal and polluting waste disposal ensure poor to very poor water quality. The drinking water supply of the region, which depends on the Modračko jezero, is becoming more and more complex and expensive due to the increasing pollution of the water.