Lake Plastiras

Lake Plastira
Lake Plastira
	Tavropos Reservoir
	Lake Plastira
Coordinates	39°17′50″N 21°45′09″E / 39.29722°N 21.75250°ECoordinates: 39°17′50″N 21°45′09″E / 39.29722°N 21.75250°E
Type	Artificial lake
Native name	Λίμνη Πλαστήρα (Greek)
Primary inflows	Tavropos
Primary outflows	Tavropos
Basin countries	Greece
Built	October 30, 1960
First flooded	1962
Max. length	12 km (7.5 mi)
Max. width	4 km (2.5 mi)
Surface area	24 km2 (9.3 sq mi)
Max. depth	60 m (200 ft)
Water volume	400×106 m3 (320,000 acre⋅ft)
Surface elevation	750 m (2,460 ft)

Lake Plastiras (Greek: Λίμνη Πλαστήρα) also called Tavropos Reservoir (Greek: Τεχνητή Λίμνη Ταυρωπού) is an artificial lake fed by Tavropos (Megdovas) river, located in Karditsa regional unit, near the city of Karditsa, Greece. The lake is named after the Greek general and politician Nikolaos Plastiras, who was the first to visualize the construction of an artificial lake in the area.

The lake by night

Initial plans[]

The idea of building a reservoir in the area was allegedly first conceived by general Nikolaos Plastiras who, in 1925, was visiting his hometown in the area. During this time the whole area was devastated by a major flood of the river Tavropos. He put pressure to the Minister of Agriculture, who put together a team to study the case by 1929. The following years till the Second World War the idea was met with opposition by politicians.

Creating the reservoir[]

After the war, the idea was revived by Plastiras as he was proclaimed Prime Minister. The (then newly formed) Power Corporation adopted the project as part of their effort to electrify the country. An international contest was held in 1953 that was won by the French Omniun Lyonnais. The building of the dam started on December 14, 1955. On October 30, 1960, the dam was officially inaugurated, although the flooding may have started as early as the last months of 1959.

The lake today[]

Tavropos Reservoir

View of Plastiras Lake (alternative names: Tavropos Lake or Megdovas Lake)

View of Plastiras Lake (alternative names: Tavropos Lake, Megdovas Lake). The photograph was taken from the area of Plaz Lamperou.

Today the lake holds up to 400 million cubic meters of fresh water. It is used for irrigation and as a power source of a hydroelectric plant,^[1] but also as the main water source to the city of Karditsa. Due to its altitude (one of the highest in Europe) the Tavropos Reservoir is a popular tourist resort in Greece, as the formed landscape is quite unique.