Stânca-Costești is the largest reservoir on the Prut, shared by Romania and Moldova along the border, between Botoșani County and northern Moldova. Its Romanian shore is also a protected area for birds.
How it formed
The dam was built in the 1970s as a joint Soviet–Romanian project, in the Prut valley about 580 km from the Danube. It is the most important water-management work in the Prut basin.
Nature
The lake is an important stopover for waterbirds on the migration route towards the Danube Delta and the Black Sea, with 124 species recorded. The Romanian side is a Natura 2000 bird area protecting 59 species, among them kingfishers, white storks and red-breasted geese. Willow, oak, elm and poplar woods line the old river valley, and 26 kinds of fish live in the lake.
Visit
Swimming
No reliable information
Tips
On the Romanian side, the DN29D from Botoșani and the DN24C from Iași lead to Ștefănești, and the DN29E goes on to the border crossing at Stânca–Costești. Ștefănești has the Church of St Parascheva, built in 1640, and the Ștefan Luchian museum, and there are archaeological sites at Ripiceni and Liveni.
Fishing is popular and needs a valid permit, and private boats and fishing tours are allowed. Hunting is not permitted, because of the border.
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Sources & data
- Romania's 2022 Water Framework Directive reporting to the EEA: lake (LW) and transitional (TW) water bodies, field cArea, European Environment Agency (WISE WFD), reported by Romania, 2022
- OpenStreetMap: Lacul de acumulare Costești - Stânca (relation 8326544), OpenStreetMap contributors
- Romanian Wikipedia: Lacul Stânca Costești, Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata: Stânca - Costești Lake (Q12731885), Wikimedia Foundation
- Stânca Lake – Costești: KBA factsheet, Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership
- Stînca-Costești Reservoir, Plizio
- Fish resources of the Costești-Stînca reservoir, IBN Moldova