Partner Living Lakes
ELF (The Estonian Fund for Nature), Lake Võrtsjärv Foundation, Lake Võrtsjärv Fisheries Development Agency, Estonian University of Life Sciences (Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Limnology)
Partner Lake since
2002
Origin
Glacial
Age
12,000 - 13,000 years, Middle Holocene
The Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve is since 1997 a Ramsar site.
Natura 2000 Area
Size
270 sq. km [km²]
Water volume
0.76 billion of cubic m [m³]
Maximum depth
6 m
Average depth
2.8 m
Lake sedimentation
mud lying on marl
Height of sediment
up to 7.6 m
Sea level
33.7 m
Catchment area
3,374 sq. km [km²]
In-flows
18 rivers
Largest in-flows
Väike Emajõgi, Õhne and Tänassilma
Out-flows
1 (Emajõgi River, flows into Lake Peipsi)
Salinity
fresh water
Precipitation per year
591 mm
Mean air temperature
4.9 °C
Completely frozen over
135 days per year
Location
Central Estonia
Vegetation surrounding area
agriculture, cattle breeding, foresty (36 % of catchment is under forest cover)
Fish
smelt, pikeperch, perch, pike, bream, roach, ruff, eel
Inhabitants in the lake area
24.4 inhabitants per sq. km [km²]
Biggest problem
eutrophication
Industrial exploitation
fishery (250 - 260 tons per year), recreation, tourism
Agricultural exploitation
irrigation of polders