A dam reservoir on the Vistula of up to 3,200 ha, important for water supply and for birds.
Goczałkowice Reservoir (Jezioro Goczałkowickie) is a dam reservoir on the Vistula, one of the largest artificial lakes in Upper Silesia. It covers up to 3,200 ha, lies about 5 km south of Pszczyna and serves above all to supply water to part of the Upper Silesian Industrial Region.
The total capacity is about 168 million m³, and the average depth is about 5.3 metres. The normal retention level is 255.75 m above sea level. The dam is 14 m high and 2,980 m long, and the catchment area reaches 522 km².
Apart from the Vistula, the only larger tributary flowing naturally into the lake is the Bajerka stream. The reservoir also has a flood-control function and is used for fishery management.
The plans were drawn up in 1947-1949, construction lasted from 1950 to 1955, and the reservoir has been operating since 1956. The land of 428 private farms went under water and about 2,000 residents had to be resettled.
In 1983-2004, 258 species of birds were recorded at the reservoir, 113 of them breeding. Among the rare ones are the purple heron, the Eurasian spoonbill and the black-headed gull. The whole reservoir lies within a Natura 2000 area, and in 2004 a special bird protection area was created.
Fry is released into the lake every year, including about 500,000 pikeperch and 260,000 pike.
Access to the reservoir itself is restricted, because the lake supplies the region with water. On the crest of the dam there is a walking section between Goczałkowice-Zdrój and Zabrzeg.
In the area lie, among others, the Technical Education Centre in Goczałkowice-Zdrój, the Kadłubek Nature Education Centre and, a few kilometres further, the Bison Show Reserve in Pszczyna.
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