Description
The Antalieptė Lagoon is the second-largest reservoir in Lithuania after the Kaunas Lagoon. Area: 1,911 ha. Maximum depth: 46 m; average depth: 7.2 m. Volume: 12 million m³. The lagoon was formed in 1959 when the Šventoji River was dammed for the needs of the Antalieptė Hydroelectric Power Plant. When the Šventoji was dammed, the water level rose by seven metres and flooded 26 lakes, the largest of which are Dusetas (519.1 ha), Diegis (104 ha), Jūžintas (98 ha), Uolys (72 ha), Abisavas (61 ha) and Zazubras (46 ha), forming the Antalieptė Lagoon – a reservoir of rare beauty with the most complex shape in Lithuania and the second-largest artificial body of water in the country. The lagoon stretches for 16 kilometres from the town of Antalieptė to Bikėnai and covers 1,911 hectares. Former hills turned into islands – as many as 52 of them – and winding bays and chains of peninsulas were formed. About 0.1% of the flooded area (the grounds of old cemeteries) still lies at the bottom of the blue lagoon. 226 structures were removed from the flooded area: 44 houses, 23 barns, 60 bathhouses, 35 cowsheds, 2 water mills and the Kruopeliai Orthodox church, and almost 400 ha of forest and bushes were cleared. Roads and part of the Šventoji riverbed remained under water. The shoreline of the Antalieptė Lagoon is very winding and is 168 km long. The central part of the lagoon is open water. Damming the Šventoji radically changed the local landscape and relief. The new, impressively large body of water became home to many birds – as many as 138 species have been recorded here. During the nesting season, 20 bird species find shelter in the lagoon and on its shores. On Bird Island, which was cleared of bushes by people, colonies of common terns and black-headed gulls nest. Goosanders, common goldeneyes and mute swans swim in the lagoon, and marsh harriers glide over the shores. Motorised vessels may be used on the Antalieptė Lagoon in accordance with the Environmental Conditions for Sailing on Water Bodies approved by order of the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania. Fishing in the Antalieptė Lagoon is allowed only with a fishing licence.
