History:
The Bovilla reservoir (Albanian: Ujëmbledhësi i Bovillës) is a 4.6 square kilometres (1.8 sq mi) reservoir in Albania, approximately 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Tirana and southeast of Kruja, within Mount Dajt National Park. It provides most of the drinking water for Tirana.
The reservoir is formed by a dam of the river Tërkuzë, a tributary of the Ishëm. The Tërkuzë has its source to the east of the outer chain of the coastal mountain range, running through the deep Shkallë e Bovillës canyon between Mount Maja e Gomtitit (1268 m) and Mount Mali i Bjeshit (1239 m). The dam stands at the entrance to this canyon and is made from local conglomerate, gravel and sand. It is 91 m high and 130 m long.
Construction work originally began in 1988, but stopped with the collapse of communism. In October 1993, work was resumed thanks to the support of the Italian state. After the end of construction in 1996, the lake took until 1998 to fill and begin to serve its purpose.
The water level varies over the course of the year by 7–10 metres, with the high water mark being reached during the rainy winter months. Measurements from 2006 to 2008 showed the greatest depth was around 45 metres. The difference from the original depth of 53 metres must be due to the sediment brought down by the river from upstream.
