Shamkirchay reservoir

Shamkirchay reservoir[1] [2](Azerbaijani: Şəmkirçay su anbarı) is an artificial reservoir in the Shamkir district of Azerbaijan. It is located on the slope of the Lesser Caucasus[1] on the Shamkirchay river. The volume of the reservoir is 164.5 million m³[3][4] (according to other sources - 164 million m³[5][6]). Useful volume considered - 156.3 million m³.[4]

Shamkirchay reservoir
Shamkirchay reservoir
Shamkirchay reservoir
Location	Shamkir District
Coordinates	40°40′47″N 46°01′45″E
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Shamkirchay
Primary outflows	Shamkirchay
Basin countries	Azerbaijan
Built	2014 (2014)

The reservoir was commissioned in 2014.[4][6] It is used for the irrigation of 70 thousand hectares of agricultural land, and also serves as a source of water for Shamkir and Ganja cities.[4][5][6] It also helps to protect the lower course of Kura from floods.[6]

The hydroelectric power plant located in the reservoir has a capacity of 24.4 MW.[4]

The climate in the vicinity of the reservoir is moderately warm, typical for dry steppes.[7] The average annual temperature is 12.9 °C,[7] the average July temperature is 23-26 °C, the maximum can reach 37-40 °C.[1] In winter, temperatures stay near freezing.[1] There are registered 350-600 mm of precipitation falls annually[7] (according to other sources - 240-390mm[1]). Evaporation makes 700-1100 mm.[7] The average annual air humidity is 67%.[7]

The soils in the reservoir basin are predominantly (80% of the area) gray-brown (chestnut), have a thickness of the fertile layer of 40-50 cm.[1]