Shatskoe Reservoir is one of the largest artificial reservoirs in the center of European Russia. Located in the Tula region. The year of opening is 1932. Previously, a natural reservoir, Ivan-Ozero, was located in its place. The reservoir area is 1250 ha. In the photo, the Shatsky reservoir looks rather nondescript, which is not surprising, given that this is an initially man-made object.
Geography of the region
The reservoir is located in the central part of the East European Plain, in the northeast of the Central Russian Upland. The predominant type of landscapes is forest-steppe. The course of time corresponds to Moscow.
The terrain is undulating, crossed by river valleys, ravines and gullies.
The climate is temperate continental, with relatively cold winters and warm summers. In winter, thaws are not uncommon. In January, the average monthly temperature drops to -10 degrees, and in July it rises to +20 degrees. The average annual temperature is +5°С.
For the year, about 500 mm of precipitation falls, which is an average for Russia. The maximum fall occurs in the summer.
Besides Shatsky, there are other important reservoirs in the Tula region: Cherepetskoye, Shchekinskoye, Pronskoye, Lyubovskoye.
Vegetation in the vicinity of the reservoir is represented by forest-steppe communities with separate areas of broad-leaved forests. The territory is dominated by oaks with linden, ash, elm, maple and other species. Most of the land is plowed up and used for agriculture.
The nearest major city is Tula, which is located 80 km west of the reservoir.
Environmental situation
Although there are no data directly on the vicinity of the reservoir, it can be assumed that the environmental problems here are the same as for the Tula region as a whole. The consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant are of the greatest importance, which may affect the increase in the radiation background. However, this probability is very small, since there are no similar data for the city of Novomoskovsk, the nearest to the reservoir, and an excess was noted in the city of Plavsk, which is located 110 km south-west of the Shatsky reservoir.
Several kilometers south of the reservoir is Novomoskovsk, where industrial emissions lead to increased concentrations of pollutants. However, data on air measurements near the reservoir itself are not available.
Reservoir ecology
This artificial reservoir was created in order to ensure the worklarge enterprises of the city of Novomoskovsk. Their effluents were dumped into the reservoir. As a result, in the mid-1980s, some areas of the Shatsky reservoir became a lifeless zone.
Since 2000, the reservoir has been increasingly used for recreational purposes. Since 2007, work has been underway to reduce the anthropogenic load. Over 600 million rubles were allocated for these purposes.
Features of the water body
The Shatskoye reservoir is located in the east of the Tula region, in the Novomoskovsky district, on the Shat River. With a water surface area of 1,250 ha, it is 14 km long and only 1.3 km wide. The depth reaches 13.4 meters. The Shat River flows into it, and the same waterway flows out.
Initially, the reservoir was created to discharge wastewater from industrial enterprises into it. As a result of severe water pollution in the 1980s, fish and other aquatic life disappeared in the Ivanozero branch.
The introduction of new treatment facilities has helped to rectify the situation. Water purification stations were repaired and new equipment purchased. The funds were allocated by the Azot company, represented in Novomoskovsk. As a result, in the 2000s, the restoration of commercial fish populations was observed in the reservoir.
Now the reservoir is actively used for fishing. The Shatskoye Reservoir is a habitat for such species of fish as silver carp, crucian carp, bream, pike, bleak, perch, roach, bream, tench.
If you're lucky, then inIn the waters of the Shatsky reservoir, you can catch crucian carp weighing 10 - 12 kg. The weight of roach and bream can be more than a kilogram. At the moment, the reservoir has the status of a fishery facility.
How to get to the reservoir
Holidays at the Shatsky reservoir are unlikely to leave an unforgettable impression, but for those who just want to sunbathe and fish, as well as expand their geographical knowledge, this place is quite suitable. Access to the water body is only possible by private vehicle. The starting points should be Tsaritsyno or Vostochnoe Biryulyovo. You should drive along the M 4 highway along the villages of Domodedovo, Kalinovka, Vidnoe, Pozdnovo, Yarlykovo, Barabanovo, Koltovo, Saygatovo, Shebantsevo, Lesnaya Polyana and others. Then you need to turn left and drive along the E 115 highway, then turn right. At the village of Gritsovsky, you need to turn left, leaving on Lesnaya Street and then move to the village of Gritsovo. Next, you need to turn left and go to the very Shat reservoir.
In closing
Shatskoye Reservoir is a man-made object with a gradually improving environmental situation. Now it is mainly used for fishing.
