Lacul de acumulare Vaduri

Lacul Vaduri lies on the middle course of the Bistrița river, in Alexandru cel Bun commune, Neamț County, between the Stânișoarei Mountains to the north and the Goșmanu-Geamăna ridge of the Tarcău Mountains to the south, at an altitude of about 350 m. The reservoir was created in 1966 for hydropower. It is up to 3,600 m long and up to 825 m wide (332 m on average), with a maximum depth of 15 m near the dam and an average depth of 5 m. The lake was declared an aquatic nature reserve by Government Decision no. 2151 of 30 November 2004 and corresponds to IUCN category IV. Together with Lacul Pângărați it forms the special protection area for birds ROSPA0125 Lacurile Vaduri și Pângărați, a Natura 2000 site designated by Government Decision no. 971/2011 with a total area of 452 ha. The site regulations allow the lakes to be used for power generation and recreational fishing, and ban recreational boating with motorboats that run on fossil fuels. Because of the warmer water arriving from Lacul Izvorul Muntelui upstream, ice forms mainly along the shore and is usually thin. As a result, the lake offers migratory waterbirds places to winter, feed and nest, with ducks, whooper swans and gulls among the species recorded. The threats reported for the reserve include grazing, reed burning, poaching, uncontrolled tourism, illegal waste dumping and sewage from the village of Vaduri reaching the lake.