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 of 673 million m, of which 580 million are in use and the rest is reserve. The reservoir has a drainage basin of 1,046 km and is 25 km long. It is situated at 820 m above sea level, its dam being 204 m long and 76 m high.
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The Iskar (Bulgarian: Искър, pronounced [ˈiskɐr]; Latin: Oescus) is a right tributary of the Danube. With a length of 368 km, it is the longest river that runs entirely within Bulgaria. Originating as three forks in Balkan's highest mountain range Rila, the Iskar flows in a northern direction until its confluence with the Danube. As it flows northwards it fuels the largest artificial lake in the country, the Iskar Reservoir, forms the divide between the Vitosha and Plana Mountains in the west and the Sredna Gora mountain range in the east before entering the Sofia Valley, which contains the nation's capital Sofia. From there the Iskar runs through the Balkan Mountains, forming the spectacular 84 km long Iskar Gorge. As it crosses the mountains, its water course turns in a north-eastern direction at Lakatnik. North of the Balkan Mountains, the river crosses the Danubian Plain and finally flows into the Danube between the villages of Baykal and Gigen. Geologically, Iskar is the oldest river in the Balkan Peninsula.
Its watershed drains 8,617 km in the provinces of Sofia, Sofia City, Vratsa, Lovech and Pleven. The Iskar flows through nine towns and numerous villages. The Iskar river basin is home to more than 50 species of fish, including Cottus haemusi that is endemic to the upper Iskar and Vit drainages.
Kardzhali Reservoir (Bulgarian: язовир Кърджали) is an artificial lake and a hydroelectric dam in southern Bulgaria. It is the uppermost of the three major reservoirs of the Arda Hydropower Cascade, the others being Studen Kladenets and Ivaylovgrad. It is the second largest reservoir by volume in the country after the Iskar.