Large and small reservoirs of Ukraine

Abstract

This article is a continuation of the topic of artificial water bodies in Ukraine, which was started in our previous publication in 2020. It was devoted to accounting and monitoring of ponds at the local and national levels. Reservoirs play important role in water supply for various sectors of the economy. For this reason, much more attention is paid to reservoirs by the State Agency of Water Resources of Ukraine (Ukr. Derzhavne ahentstvo vodnykh resursiv Ukrainy), the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine (Ukr. Ministerstvo ekolohii ta pryrodnykh resursiv Ukrainy), scientists and specialists. The main tasks of the article are: to establish patterns of territorial distribution of reservoirs in administrative regions and river basins districts; to identify the role of large and small reservoirs in the balance of river runoff regulation. There are 1054 reservoirs in Ukraine, so it can be considered a country rich in reservoirs. The volume of the cascade of six reservoirs on the Dnieper River and the Dniester Reservoir is 85%, other reservoirs – 15% of the total number. At the same time, there are 1047 other reservoirs (middle, small and very small), which provide for regional needs and which have their own patterns of distribution throughout the country. The main trend in their creation was water supply of industrial regions, in particular Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and others. About 28% of reservoirs are leased. These reservoirs also require clear accounting and monitoring at the national level, attention from water management and environmental organizations.