Lake Ülemiste

Lake Ülemiste (Estonian: Ülemiste järv) is the largest of the lakes surrounding Tallinn, Estonia. Ülemiste is the main part of the Tallinn water supply system, which supplies the city with most of its drinking water. The lake is fed mostly by Kurna stream and the Pirita River, through the Vaskjala–Ülemiste canal.

Lake Ülemiste
Lake Ülemiste
Location	Kesklinn, Tallinn
Coordinates	59°24′N 24°46′E
Lake type	Eutrophic
Native name	Ülemiste järv (Estonian)
Primary inflows	Vaskjala–Ülemiste canal (from Pirita River), Kurna stream, Ruunaoja stream
Primary outflows	Tallinn water system; historically Härjapea River
Catchment area	99.24 km2 (38.32 sq mi)
Basin countries	Estonia
Max. length	4.1 km (2.5 mi)
Max. width	3.2 km (2.0 mi)
Surface area	9.436 km2 (3.643 sq mi)
Average depth	2.5 m (8.2 ft)
Max. depth	4.2 m (14 ft)
Shore length1	15.219 km (9.5 mi)
Surface elevation	35.7 m (117 ft)
Settlements	Tallinn
References	[1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport is located on the eastern shore of the lake and aircraft regularly take off and land over the lake. The airport maintains the necessary equipment ready to salvage in a short time any aircraft that crashes into the lake, as required by International Civil Aviation Organization regulations.

The Tallinn Water Company, AS Tallinna Vesi, has a treatment plant on the north shore of the lake which supplies 90% of the water to the city. The remaining 10% comes from ground water wells, which are maintained as a backup in case the lake becomes contaminated. On 18 March 2010, a DHL Antonov An-26 aircraft made an emergency landing on the ice of the lake, leaking about 1 ton of fuel. All of the pollution was eventually removed.[2]

Administratively, Lake Ülemiste is part of Tallinn's central district Kesklinn, and constitutes Ülemistejärve subdistrict with its neighbouring forests. As of 1 January 2014, the population of the subdistrict is 203.[3]