The River Sateska is located in the south-west of

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

. Currently a tributary of

Lake Ohrid Lake Ohrid ( mk, Охридско Езеро , al, Liqeni i Ohrit , also referred as ''Liqeni i Pogradecit'';) is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Eu ...

, it originally flowed directly into the River Black Drim but was re-routed in 1961/2. It now accounts for 39.36% of the Lake Ohrid watershed and is consequently one of its most important tributaries.

Artificial Reroute

In 1961/2, the River Sateska was diverted from its natural path into the River Black Drim and instead routed into Lake Ohrid, which it enters on the northern shore between the cities of

Ohrid Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inh ...

and

Struga Struga ( mk, Струга , sq, Strugë) is a town and popular tourist destination situated in the south-western region of North Macedonia, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The town of Struga is the seat of Struga Municipality. Name The name ...

. The Lake Ohrid catchment was expanded by 460 square kilometers in the process. The diversion was motivated by three main considerations: * to reduce the sediment load upon Globočica Reservoir; * to secure the

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined a ...

potential of dams on the River Black Drim; and * to drain Struga Marsh wetland areas.World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS and IUCN (2017
Reactive Monitoring Mission Report Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid Region (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
World Heritage Centre, Paris, France.

Environmental Impact

Since the 1960s, the River Sateska has been a major source of pollution and other negative anthropogenic impact upon Lake Ohrid, which is one of the most biodiverse inland waters on the planet. At peak times, the river can bring up to 129 tonnes of suspended material into the lake per day,National Commission of UNESCO for the Republic of Macedonia (2018) Progress Report on the Implementation of the Recommendations according to the World Heritage Committee Decision 41 COM 7B.34. (Available at World Heritage Committe
website
) which interferes with reed belts and spawning grounds for fish, a situation that has deteriorated after the abandonment of measures to reduce erosion. The River Sateska is also the largest source of phosphorus inputs to Lake Ohrid and the second highest contributor of nitrogen (29%), both of which can instigate

eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytoplan ...

processes. Indeed, the mouth of the Sateska holds some of the lowest quality water in all Lake Ohrid and displays evidence of eutrophication. Water oxygen levels have been influenced and a shift in species composition has been observed. Due to environmental concerns, the World Heritage Committee has requested the Republic of Macedonia to explore options to re-divert the Sateska back to the River Black Drim.

References

{{reflist Rivers of North Macedonia

Artificial Reroute

Environmental Impact

See also

References