The Pasareldam and reservoir is located 20km to the southeast of Sofia, Bulgaria at an altitude of 700 m.
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aquaculture, and navigability. Hydropower is often used in conjunction with dams to generate electricity. A dam can also be used to collect water or for storage of water which can be evenly distributed between locations. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. The earliest known dam is the Jawa Dam in Jordan, dating to 3,000 BC.
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. The city is at the foot of Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country. Being in the centre of the Balkan peninsula, it is midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, and closest to the Aegean Sea.
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. The capital and largest city is Sofia; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria is Europe's 16th-largest country.
The dam is situated roughly halfway between the Iskar Reservoir and Lake Pancharevo near the village of Dolni Pasarel. Though built in the Iskar valley, under most circumstances, the primary inflow come from the tailwater of a co-located hydroelectric plant (which is in turn is fed from a long, underground penstock from the Iskar Reservoir.) Likewise, in most cases, the majority of its outflow goes into another long penstock to the hydroelectric plant at the southern end of Lake Pancharevo. The reservoir itself is small (about 1.5km long and 300 m wide), but still attracts visitors to the area.
The Iskar Reservoir is the largest reservoir in Bulgaria. It is situated on the Iskar River and provides 2/3 of the water for the capital Sofia, also being used for producing hydroelectricity.
Lake Pancharevo is an artificial lake in western Bulgaria, at the end of the Pancharevo Gorge of the Iskar River, located at 600 m above sea level between the Vitosha and Lozenska mountains. It is 3 km long and up to 700 m wide, reaching a depth of 30 m, and is situated 12 km southeast of the capital city of Sofia, where the Vitoshka Bistritsa flows into the Iskar. The villages of Pancharevo and Kokalyane and the Pancharevo mineral springs lies on the lake's western shore, while at the southern end of the lake there is a hydroelectric power station. Sports centres and catering establishments have been constructed around the lake, making it a favoured outing location for the residents of Sofia. Further upstream in the gorge there are two additional artificial lakes: the Pasarel Reservoir and the Iskar Reservoir.
The Iskar is a right tributary of the Danube. With a length of 368 km it is the longest river that runs entirely within Bulgaria. Originating as three forks in Balkan's highest mountain range Rila, it flows in northern direction until its confluence with the Danube River. As it flows northwards it fuels the largest artificial lake in the country, the Iskar Reservoir, forms the divide between the Vitosha and Plana Mountains in the west and the Sredna Gora mountain range in the east before entering the Sofia Valley, which contains the nation's capital Sofia. From there the Iskar runs through the Balkan Mountains forming the spectacular 84 km long Iskar Gorge and as it crosses the mountains its water course turns in north-eastern direction at Lakatnik. North of the Balkan Mountains the river crosses the Danubian Plain and finally flows into the Danube between the villages of Baykal and Gigen. Geologically, Iskar is the oldest river in the Balkan Peninsula.
Near to the Pasarel dam, in the village of Dolni Pasarel, is located the "St. Peter and Pavel" monastery.
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