Lake Plastiras

How it formed

The lake is a reservoir behind the Plastiras dam on the Tavropos (Megdovas) river. It is used for irrigation and to run a hydroelectric plant, and it is the main source of water for the city of Karditsa.

History

The idea of a reservoir here is said to have come to General Plastiras in 1925, when he was visiting his home area, which a major flood of the Tavropos had devastated. A committee was set up in 1929, but politicians opposed the plan until the Second World War. After the war, when Plastiras became Prime Minister, the idea was revived, and the new Power Corporation adopted it as part of its plan to electrify the country. An international contest was held in 1953, building began in December 1955, and the dam was officially inaugurated in 1960.

Little Switzerland

Greeks call the lake "Little Switzerland". It lies in the Agrafa mountains, behind an 83 m dam, and its shoreline has many fjord-like inlets and the little islet of Niaga, which has become a landmark of the turquoise water.

Nature

The surrounding mountain slopes are wooded, with oak at 700–900 m, conifer forest up to about 1,500 m, and sub-alpine meadows and low bushes above that. Ferns, geraniums, cyclamen, crocuses, narcissi and several orchids grow under the trees. The area is part of the Natura 2000 network. The water level changes a good deal with the season and the demand for irrigation.

The lake holds eel, common carp, trout, bass, gibel carp, lavaret, tench, bleak and roach. On and around the water you are likely to see herons, coots, gulls, grebes and cormorants, and with luck little egrets, griffon vultures, peregrine falcons or golden eagles. Foxes, wolves, wild boar, badgers and weasels live along the shores, and bears, deer and wildcats less often.