How does the Tsimlyansk Reservoir provide hydroelectric power and irrigation water?

The Tsimlyansk Reservoir was created by a massive barrage—consisting of a 1,580-foot concrete dam and an eight-mile earthen dam—constructed at the great bend of the Don River in the early 1950s.12

The reservoir facilitates hydroelectric power generation through an integrated hydroelectric station. Regarding irrigation, the project includes an irrigation canal that supplies water to the extensive vineyards and market gardens located along the lower Don. This infrastructure has been instrumental in the rapid expansion of regional agriculture, with irrigated land in the Don River basin increasing from approximately 124,000 acres in 1950 to nearly 2.5 million acres by 1980.21

While these developments have provided significant economic benefits, it is important to note that the diversion of water for irrigation and evaporation from the reservoir have reduced the river's discharge at its mouth, leading to increased salinity in the Sea of Azov and negative impacts on its biological productivity.2