Lake Czerniakowskie

Jeziorko Czerniakowskie water nature reserve located in the Mokotów district in Warsaw. It was established by the Order of the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of February 18, 1987 on the area of ​​46.83 ha . Currently, the size of the reserve is given as 47.6767 ha. A buffer zone with an area of ​​185.48 ha was established around the reserve. In 2012, a protection plan for the reserve was adopted. According to him, the area of ​​the reserve is under active and landscape protection.

The subject of protection is a fragment of the Vistula oxbow lake together with the adjacent areas. Its central part and the main subject of protection is Jeziorko Czerniakowskie, from which the name of the reserve is derived. The purpose of its creation was to preserve, for ecological and social reasons, the Vistula oxbow lake and the areas constituting its surroundings, with a characteristic landscape and rich flora and fauna, which are a valuable element of the natural environment in Warsaw. Yellow water lily is under strict protection in the reserve .

Czerniakowskie Lake has an area of ​​about 19.5 ha. It is the largest natural water reservoir in Warsaw. It is about 1780 m long and 100–180 m wide. The average depth is 2.5 m, and the maximum - 3.75 m. The outflow of water takes place through a covered canal regulated by a tableware on ul. Wolicka.

The lake is part of the Warsaw Protected Landscape Area. In 2017, 60 species of birds lived on its shores, including 49 under total protection. 67 species of invertebrates lived in the waters.

For many years, the problem has been the lowering of the water level in the lake, which is caused, among others, by lowering and shifting the Vistula bed and construction of flood embankments on Łuk Siekierkowski, violation of the direction of groundwater runoff through the sewage system of the housing estate at ul. Bernardyńska, hardening of the lake catchment area disturbing the rate of rainwater supply and the vicinity of the Siekierki Heat and Power Plant. Research conducted by scientists from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences shows that since the 1960s the water level in the lake has decreased by about 1 meter.

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rezerwat_przyrody_Jeziorko_Czerniakowskie

Photo: Adrian Grycuk