Brădișor Reservoir

Lacul Brădișor is a reservoir located on the lower course of the Lotru River, in Vâlcea County, within the commune of Mălaia, set in a remarkable mountain landscape flanked by the Munții Lotrului to the north and the Munții Căpățânii to the south. The lake was formed behind the Brădișor Dam, a concrete arch dam 62 metres high with a crest length of 220 metres, whose construction began in 1973 and was completed in 1982; the lengthy execution period was due to a change in the original location of the power station cavern, caused by the geological composition of the terrain. The dam represents the final stage of the hydropower development of the Lotru River — the most complex such scheme on Romania's interior rivers — which harnesses the hydraulic potential of the Lotru through the chain of hydroelectric plants at Lotru-Ciunget, Mălaia and Brădișor. The lake covers approximately 230 hectares and reaches a depth of over 40 metres. The impounded water feeds the underground Brădișor hydroelectric power station, which has an installed capacity of 115 MW and is housed in a cavern in the right bank slope; water is also drawn from this point to supply the municipality of Râmnicu Vâlcea. The surrounding area is covered with spruce and beech forests, and the lake is renowned for its rich fish fauna, with species including trout, chub, barbel, bleak, carp, crucian carp and perch. Located along national road DN7A, between the localities of Mălaia and Păscoaia, Lacul Brădișor is one of the main tourist attractions of the Valea Lotrului, appreciated for its scenery, fishing and water sports.