Oritelgi reservoir

The Oritelgi reservoir (Mirselec Oritelgi ferenalmi) is a large reservoir, formed by damming the Oritelgi river and the resultant expansion and merging of the Oritelgi Ponds, in southern Enimdanai Province. This reservoir is one of the central elements in the Rushalya Channelling Scheme, as a store of water which it then releases into the Fosoge and Raltani rivers.

The reservoir's area is around 82 square kilometres; in the normal and dry seasons its depth averages around 16 metres, with the deepest point at around 23 metres; during the wet season this depth can double as the excess flow of the Rushalya and Naidan rivers flows into the reservoir. During the 2018 storm season, a record number of storms moving over the headwaters of the two feeding rivers pushed the water levels up to nearly 57 metres, though it was still short of the 65 metre maximum allowance that the reservoir was built with.

Human and Environmental Impact

While the building of the reservoir was planned so as to minimise damage to the environment as well as to society around the area, a project of this scale nonetheless has had its effects. Nearly 2,800 people around the ponds had to be resettled, and the flooding of the ponds has meant the destruction of several areas of wetland which were important to migratory birds from Noma, as well as species of flora and fauna along the affected slopes which were flooded.

After construction was finished, the ponds were then used as a stocking pond for many types of fish, some of which have since followed the shunting canals into the Fosoge and Raltani and become invasive species. Sedimentation from the shunting canals into the rivers is also a problem; while it is relatively minor it has somewhat spoiled the clarity of the two rivers, which was formerly a draw for tourists attracted to the scenery of the eastern coast.

On the positive side, though, the reservoir now serves as the central source of water for the province, and more importantly for Taluste and the cities on the eastern side of Feladmena Province and in Horeston Province. Besides it has itself become a major tourist attraction, with thousands of locals and foreigners alike coming to enjoy the scenery and fish. There are six companies now providing lake cruises and angling boats, and the lake is periodically restocked with fish.