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The '''Oritelgi reservoir''' (Mirselec ''Oritelgi ferenalmi'') is a large reservoir, formed by [[Samelna Dam|damming]] the [[Oritelgi river]] and the resultant expansion and merging of the [[Oritelgi Ponds]], in [[Province 6]]. 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 river|Fosoge]] and [[Raltani river|Raltani]] rivers.
The '''Oritelgi reservoir''' (Mirselec ''Oritelgi ferenalmi'') is a large reservoir, formed by [[Samelna Dam|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 river|Fosoge]] and [[Raltani river|Raltani]] rivers.


The Oritelgi reservoir has a total summertime surface area of 4,971km², while in winter freezing expands it by another approximately 3km².
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 river|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 & environmental impact==
==History==


The human impact of the reservoir was minimal as the ideal location for the dam was found to be in a relatively sparsely populated area. Nonetheless to create the Oritelgi reservoir, about 1,000 people had to be resettled and compensated, both for their residences and, as they were mostly farming families, for their land.
==Human and Environmental Impact==


Compared to that, the ecological and geological repercussions have been more severe. Only 64km² of the reservoir was originally underwater, and as the area subsequently flooded included many deep mountainside pockets of isolated diversity, an estimated 5,254km² of forest cover was destroyed, affecting as many as 13,000 species of flora and fauna, of which just under 3,000 are expected to have been unique to the area and to be now extinct.
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.


The unexpected wintertime freezeover of much of the upper layers of water has also presented tricky problems to civil engineers, such as an increased rate of soil erosion from the surrounding mountains thanks to the intensified weathering effect in which the autumn-winter-spring freeze-thaw cycle has resulted. The sheer weight and pressure of the water has also led to subsidence in the area of the loose volcanically-deposited soil of which [[Risevne]] is made, and infiltration has caused waterlogging and destabilisation in the more permeable soil layers and areas. Due to the potential danger to the structural soundness of the [[Samelna Dam]], the Risevan government is intensively monitoring the situation and in discussions with expert groups over how best to relieve the water load on the land.
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.  


[[category:Major building projects in Valmante]]
[[category:Major building projects in Valmante]]
[[category:Reservoirs and Lakes in Risevne]]
[[category:Reservoirs and Lakes in Risevne]]

Latest revision as of 06:01, 6 November 2006

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.

History

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.

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