Vidra Lake

Vidra Lake

Located on the river Lotru, in the Vidra Gorge, the lake is the main exploitation of the river Lotru.

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Description

From: Valcea County, Lakes and Dams, Oltenia

Located on the river Lotru, in the Vidra Gorge, the lake is the main exploitation of the river Lotru.

ABOUT VIDRA LAKE

Vidra Lake is a man-made reservoir created in 1972. The Vidra Lake is located in the Vidra Gorge, 30 km away from the Voineasa resort, Valcea County, between the Lotru, Latoritei and Capatanii Mountains, in an area with predominant spruce forests.

The lake was created following the construction of the Vidra Dam on the Lotru river. The dam is made of stone, wood and clay. There are several species of fish in the waters of the lake, among which the most common are trout and grayling.

The Vidra lake collects the waters of numerous rivers my means of an abduction system and secondary abstraction, nevertheless, approximately 25% of its regular inflow comes from the waters of the river Lotru, with an average annual flow of 4.5 cubic meters per second at Vidra. The abduction and abstraction system consists of 81 abstractions grouped into 3 branches, as follows:

  • The northern branch (gravitational and pumping)
  • The southern branch (gravitational and pumping)
  • The western branch (gravitational)

The secondary abstraction system comprises the pumping stations at Petrimanu, Jidoaia and Lotru-Aval; added to these, are the abstraction at Galbenu, Manileasa and Rudareasa.

The Petrimanu lake collects the waters from the secondary abduction network into the 50 meters-high, double curvature arch dam. Its net volume is 1.8 million cubic meters. Three pumping groups lead the water into the southern gallery, which opens into the Vidra Lake at Vidruta. 6 km higher above the Petrimanu Dam there is the Galbenu gravitational gallery. This is created on the most important tributary of the river Lotru – Latorita. This is also the place where a dam with a net volume of 1.8 million cubic meters is built. It is 60 meters high and built with a double curvature arch.

On the Voinesita creek there is the Jidoaia pumping station which collects the waters from the northern gravitational branch. There is a dam here as well, 5 m tall, also with a double curvature arch, but with a net volume of 0.3 million cubic meters. The tributaries of the river Lotru, downstream from the Vidra Dam, are collected at the Lotru Aval pumping station, and the dam here has a net volume of 0.675 million cubic meters (42 m high, built with a double curvature arch).

The Vidra Reservoir is 8 km long, with a maximum width of about 1.4 km.

The total gross volume (at normal retention level) is 340.0 million cubic meters. The total volume recorded at maximum operating level is 370.0 million cubic meters, while the dead volume is 40.0 million cubic meters, recorded at maximum operating level.

The normal retention level is 1289.00 m above sea level; at maximum operating level the value is 1293.00 m above sea level and at the minimum operating level the value is 1237.00 m above sea level. The surface area of the reservoir at normal retention level is 1240 acres.

Additional information