The pelicans in Ovcharitsa dam

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Ovcharitsa dam is located in the angle formed by the municipalities of Radnevo, Nova Zagora and Tundja (Yambol). It’s purpose is to secure the technical water supply and serve as cooling reservoir for “Maritza Iztok 2” thermoelectric power plant, as well as to safeguard “Troyanovo - North” mine against inundations. Its construction was completed in the period 1962-1967. The water therein never freezes and even in wintertime its temperature is around 18 degrees. Therefore this reservoir is used for breeding fish. It is maybe the most popular fishing place in South-East Bulgaria.

It is surrounded by hills of arable lands. “Maritza Iztok 2” thermoelectric power plant is located immediately next to the dam wall. Belonging to this site are also the numerous adjacent smaller still-water reservoirs, the precipitation deposits of “Maritza Iztok 2” power plant, as well as the valleys of several small rivers. The dam is with open water surface, sloping shores and shallows slightly overgrown with wetland vegetation. Some of the adjacent small reservoirs are also overgrown with coastal wetland vegetation mostly bulrush. The nearby hills are agricultural lands seeded mainly to winter wheat.

Ovcharitsa dam is a site of international importance for the wintering of wetland birds. The dam is one of the worldwide important places for the Dalmatian Pelican. Although rarely, also the Red-Breasted Goose (Branta Ruficollis) can be observed here as a wintering species. The pelicans gradually grow in number and in the winter of 2010 they numbered between 500 and 600.


In 1997 the dam was proposed to be declared a protected territory, furthermore it was inspected by the competent commission, but the protected territory documentation got lost somewhere in the Ministry of Environment and Water …

In 1989 BirdLife International declared the territory ornithologically important place. On 23 September 2009 it was declared a Natura 2000 protected area under the Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.

Stefan Avramov
Coordinator, “Protected Areas and Biodiversity”, Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation

Translation: Prolet Ilieva