Codole Reservoir

The Codole Reservoir is formed by the Barrage de Codole, which dams the Fiume di Regino, a coastal river. The reservoir is to the south of L'Île-Rousse on the Mediterranean coast. The dam at the eastern end of the reservoir is in the commune of Speloncato. The southwest of the reservoir is in the commune of Feliceto, and the northwest of the reservoir is in the commune of Santa-Reparata-di-Balagna. The D113 road runs along the south shore.[1]

• 
  Panorama from Regino

The reservoir is mainly fed by the 19.5 kilometres (12.1 mi) Reginu river, which rises at 1,680 metres (5,510 ft) in San Parteo, Feliceto, and has its mouth on the sea in Lozari, Belgodère. There are about 90 kilometres (56 mi) of streams in the Reginu watershed, which covers more than 110 square kilometres (42 sq mi).[2] The reservoir is supplied by a watershed of 39 square kilometres (15 sq mi).[3]

The Reginu valley has a Mediterranean climate, with little rain in the summer. It regularly has strong west or southwest winds. The landscape includes pastures, cultivated olive, almond and citrus groves, and abandoned scrub and forest.[4] Vegetation includes heather (Erica arborea), Arbutus unedo, oak forests (Quercus ilex, Quercus suber and some Quercus pubescens), lavender (Lavandula stoechas), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Genista corsica and many Cistus species.[4]

The Codole dam (French: Barrage de Codole) was built in the early 1980s by the Société de Développement Agricole de la Corse (SOMIVAC) to supply water to the eastern part of the Balagne for drinking and irrigation.[5] It was commissioned in 1984. It is a rockfill dam with a height of 28 metres (92 ft) and crest length of 460 metres (1,510 ft). The crest elevation is 116 metres (381 ft). It contains 6,985,000 cubic metres (246,700,000 cu ft) of water.[3] In 1992 the Office d'Equipement Hydraulique de Corse (OEHC) took over management of water resources from SOMIVAC.[6]

• 
  Causeway along the dam
• 
  View from the dam

Lake and surroundings

The perimeter of the lake is 5.75 kilometres (3.57 mi), with width and length of 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) and an area of 80 hectares (200 acres).[7] With a capacity of 6,600,000 cubic metres (230,000,000 cu ft) the reservoir is the second largest of ten on the island, apart from the Électricité de France dams. It is the largest body of water on the west coast.[5] The reservoir is full from January to May, gradually empties from June to October and then refills in November and December. Every ten years it is drained completely.[8] When fully filled the average depth is 8.1 metres (27 ft) and maximum depth is 23 metres (75 ft).[7]

The lake is of high biological importance.[9] Its IUCN protection status is IV - Habitat or species management area, and V - Protected land or seascape.[10] It is eutrophic or hypertrophic, with a high nutrient content that favors a strong presence of cyanobacteria in the phytoplankton population.[11] The biotope offers habitat for many species of birds, reptiles and amphibians.[6] European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) have been observed, and in 1999, an invasive turtle, the red-eared slider Trachemys scripta elegans was also discovered at the site.[12] In 1994 the Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels de Corse (CEN-Corse) and OEHC agreed to improve conditions for birds using the lake for wintering or as a stopover during migration. Actions included planting vegetation on the banks and placing artificial nests.[6]

Flora include:[13]

Mammals include:[13]

Birds include:[14]

Reptiles include:[15]

Amphibians include:[16]

Fish include:[16]