Determination of important hydrological features for Oroklini Lake in order to contribute to the restoration and management of the protected SPA Natura 2000 Lake in Larnaka, Cyprus. Birdlife Cyprus.

Determination of important hydrological features for Oroklini Lake in order to contribute to the restoration and management of the protected SPA Natura 2000 Lake in Larnaka, Cyprus

The overall objective of the project was the determination of the important hydrological features of the lake and the assessment of a number of proposed water management works that were proposed in order to control the water level in the different areas of the lake and prevent the drying-out of the lake during the dry season. These objectives contribute to the overall restoration and management of the Oroklini Lake and the achievement of the favourable conditions for the target bird species.

Client: Birdlife Cyprus (as part of the project LIFE10 NAT/CY/716 where BirdLife Cyprus is an associated beneficiary)

Region: Cyprus

Type: Water & Flood Management, Ecology

Duration: 05/2012 – 11/2012

Other Partners: –

The “Determination of important hydrological features for Oroklini Lake” constitutes an Action of the 3-year LIFE+ project entitled “Restoration and Management of Oroklini Lake SPA (CY6000010) in Larnaka Cyprus”. Responsible for this action is the BirdLife Cyprus, which is one of the five beneficiaries of this project and which subcontracted this action to I.A.CO.

The overall objective of the project was the determination of the important hydrological features of the lake and the assessment of a number of proposed water management works that were proposed in order to control the water level in the different areas of the lake and prevent the drying-out of the lake during the dry season. These objectives contribute to the overall restoration and management of the Oroklini Lake and the achievement of the favourable conditions for the target bird species.

The tasks that were successfully completed and the services that were provided were:

• Test the integrity of the dam (embankment and spillway weir) through field inspections
• Determination of the geological and hydrogeological features (soil composition, permeability, groundwater level monitoring, etc) and the relationship between groundwater and surface water by drilling an investigative borehole near the lake
• Determination of the infiltration rate of the water of the lake through the elaboration of infiltration tests at the dry bed of the lake
• Monitoring of the quality of surface and groundwater.
• Installation of an automatic water level recorder at the deepest part of the lake, which was programmed to record observations every 12 hours
• Evaluation of the spillway weir capacity for low frequency floods
• Elaboration of a detailed water balance of the lake on a monthly basis under drought, average and wet conditions
• Assessment of various proposed water management works aimed to manage the water levels in the different areas of the lake and prevent the drying-out of the lake during the dry season in order to fit the needs of the target bird species