Lake Koroneia ( el, Λίμνη Κορώνεια) is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in the heart of the Thessaloniki regional unit in the

Mygdonia Mygdonia (; el, Μυγδονία / Μygdonia) was an ancient territory, part of Ancient Thrace, later conquered by Macedon, which comprised the plains around Therma (Thessalonica) together with the valleys of Klisali and Besikia, including the ...

n basin in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. It is also known as Lake Agios Vasileios after the village Agios Vasileios and as Lake Langadas after the town

Langadas Lagkadas ( el, Λαγκαδάς, ) is a town and municipality in the northeast part of Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. There are 41103 residents in the municipality and 7764 of them live in the town of Lagkadas. Lagkadas is located northeast o ...

, and is located about 14 kilometres east of

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

city centre. The motorway Egnatia Odos passes along the north side of the lake, and the old

Greek National Road 2 Greek National Road 2 ( el, Εθνική Οδός 2, abbreviated as EO2) is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections, located in the regions of West Macedonia, Central Macedonia and East Macedonia and Thrace. It connects the Albanian ...

passes along the south side. The lake is shared by the

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

and Volvi. A million years ago, Lake Koroneia along with

Lake Volvi Lake Volvi ( el, Λίμνη Βόλβη - ''Límni Vólvi'') is located at the root of the Chalkidiki peninsula, in the Thessaloniki regional unit of Greece. It is the second largest lake in the country at length and width. The area is 68 k ...

and all of the Mygdonian basin was a single large lake. Since then, its area has declined and the distance from neighboring Lake Volvi is becoming larger. In the 1950s, Koroneia was among the lakes of Greece with the biggest fish production. In the 1970s, its area was 45 km², with a depth of about five metres. Since then it has shrunk to about one third of its original area, and its depth has decreased to less than 1 metre. In the summer of 2009, it was possible to walk across the lake.Guardian Weekly
22 February 2011 In spite of being a wetland of international importance, as recognized by the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on W ...

, the lake suffers from pollution and intensive agriculture. The

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

has referred Greece to the European Court of Justice for its failure to protect Lake Koroneia. In 2019, Lake Koroneia's worsening situation drew widespread attention and coverage by the Greek media, with reports for further water level decreases and sights of dead fish on its shores. The Greek government announced that the Ministries responsible for the lake, are working on urgent measures to help prevent the ecological catastrophe and improve the lake's situation.Lake Koroneia: in poor state, but «alive» (original: Λίμνη Κορώνεια : Σε κακή κατάσταση αλλά ακόμα «ζωντανή»)
/ref>

References

Geography of ancient Mygdonia Lakes of Greece Landforms of Thessaloniki (regional unit) Ramsar sites in Greece Landforms of Central Macedonia {{CentralMacedonia-geo-stub