Vacha Reservoir

The reservoir Watscha ( Bulg язовир Въча ) and the reservoir Krichim ( Bulg язовир Кричим ) lie in Bulgaria in the northern part of the Western Rhodopes.

The reservoir Watscha has its name from the river Watscha he dammed in its lower reaches. The immediately north underlying reservoir Krichim takes its name from the town of Krichim which is located 6 km north of its dam.

The upper reservoir is the Watscha reservoir and the lower reservoir is the Krichim reservoir and significantly smaller than the upper reservoir. Both dams accumulate successively on the river Watscha and are located directly behind each other, in north-south direction, elongated in a steep mountain gorge that was formed by the Watscha. The water flows north towards Krichim.

At both reservoirs along the road connecting Krichim leads to Devin, located in the Rhodope Mountains.

Watscha Reservoir

The 144.5 m high dam of Watscha dam is the highest in Bulgaria. According to other data, the dam is 141 m high. The length of the dam is 420 m. The highest water level in the reservoir can be 535 m above sea level, according to other sources 689 m.

The reservoir has a capacity of 160.4 million m2, according to other sources Mill 226.12 m2. It covers an area of 4.97 km2 and is 12 km long.

At the foot of the dam is hydroelectric power plant " Orpheus " ( Bulg ПАВЕЦ Орфей, ПАВЕЦ means pumped storage plant; Bulg Помпено - акумулационна ВЕЦ ), which is also known as hydroelectric power plant Watscha I ( Bulg ВЕЦ Въча I). The capacity of the four water turbines amounted to a total of 160 MW before major overhaul in 2006. One of the turbines can be reversed in the direction of work and use as a pump (reverse pump). You can pump up with a capacity of 45 MW water from the reservoir into the Krichim Watscha Reservoir, which therefore also has the function of a pumped storage power plant.

Here 229.19 million KWh of electricity are produced. In flow 635.33 million m3 of water through the Watscha and, accordingly, by the dam. The flow rate of 20,15 m3 / s

The Watscha Reservoir is located in the town of Devin.

The Watscha Reservoir was in communist times " Anton Ivanov " ( Bulg язовир Антон Иванов ), named after the guerrilla group of Anton Ivanov, who was active in this region of the Western Rhodopes. It was renamed Watscha Reservoir 1999.

Krichim Reservoir

The monastery " Uspenia Bogorodichno " ( German: Assumption into heaven; founded in the 13th century) is located 6 km south of Krichim, the river Watscha, on the road to Devin. Near here is also the dam of Krichim Reservoir.

The dam of Krichim dam is located 6 km north of the dam it Watscha Reservoir. The Krichim reservoir extends directly from the foot of Watscha dam, to Krichim dam.

At the foot of the dam of Krichim Dam hydropower plant Krichim is installed ( Bulg ВЕЦ Кричим ), which is also known as hydroelectric power plant Watscha II ( Bulg ВЕЦ Въча II). The dam is 104.5 meters high. The reservoir has a capacity of 20.3 million m2. The capacity of the two turbines was a total of 80 MW before major overhaul in 2006.

Construction

After the design work had begun in 1921, the construction of the hydroelectric plant Watscha started in 1929 (according to other sources 1923) at Krichim. Construction was completed 15 years later.

The two dams were built from 1973 to 1975. They are part of a whole cascade of dams belonging to the cascade Dospat Watscha ( Bulg каскада Доспат - Въча ). At that cascaded group of hydroelectric power plants include the hydropower plants Teschel and Devin ( Bulg ВЕЦ Тешел and ВЕЦ Девин ), the Watscha accumulate in order to produce energy.

Having been in operation for 30 years, the hydropower plants were overhauled at the artificial lakes Watscha and Krichim 2002 to 2006 for 34 million euros. So the operation is secured for at least another 30 years. The project was designed by the consortium Alstom Power ( Austria ) and Voith Siemens ( Austria ) running. The original power plants had been built by Austrian companies.

Water supply from Plovdiv

The water in these reservoirs is used for irrigation of the plain of Plovdiv and hedges a portion of the drinking water supply of Plovdiv.

With a major project for the 300 million leva were estimated, the growing demand for drinking water of Plovdiv should be ensured. In January 2008, the project was still in the planning phase.

The water is to be diverted at the hydroelectric plant Watscha I. A drinking water purification station needs to be built, an above-ground water pipe to convey the water by gravity to Plovdiv, a water reservoir below the village Markowo with a capacity of 120,000 m2 and a water distribution ring around Plovdiv.