Über den Staudamm Zhrebchevo

Zhrebchevo Reservoir is located on the Tundzha River in central Bulgaria, upstream of Sliven and Yambol in the Sredna Gora foothills. Completed in 1963, the reservoir has a total capacity of 400.0 MCM and serves as a multi-purpose facility providing irrigation water to the Rose Valley and Thracian Plain, drinking water supply to several municipalities, and hydropower generation. The Tundzha River rises in the eastern Stara Planina (Balkan Mountains) and receives inflows from numerous mountain tributaries, giving Zhrebchevo a relatively reliable hydrological regime compared to reservoirs in drier regions. The Rose Valley immediately downstream of the reservoir is famous worldwide for the cultivation of the Kazanlak rose, from which Bulgaria produces the majority of the world's rose oil. Zhrebchevo's irrigation releases play a direct role in sustaining this economically and culturally significant agricultural sector. The reservoir is also an important stopover for migratory birds following the Via Pontica flyway, and its shores host several protected wetland habitats. The surrounding landscape is characterised by oak and hornbeam forest on the hillsides and rich alluvial farmland near the water's edge. Zhrebchevo is managed as part of a cascade with the Koprinka Reservoir downstream on the same river system.