Meshcherskoye Lake is the city lake of Nizhny Novgorod, a natural monument of regional importance. Previously, the reservoir was connected with the Volga River by a small channel,
but at the moment the channel is blocked, and its filling is carried out by melting snow and precipitation. The length of the lake is 1.1 kilometers, the width is 170 meters, the maximum depth is 4 meters. From mid-November, freezing begins here, which lasts about 4 months. The soil is sand.
The territory of the natural monument belongs to the natural zone of coniferous-deciduous forests. At present, the natural vegetation (the same applies to the soil cover) has been altered under anthropogenic influence. On the area of 0, 035 sq. km.2 the reservoir is swamped.
Vegetation near the coastal zone is heterogeneous. The southern coast has an inclination angle of about 20 degrees, and from the side of the boulevard one can observe isolated trees (maple, poplar, willow). The age of local tree species does not exceed 30 years, plantations are dense in places.
Closer to the coast, meadow vegetation prevails:red clover, wormwood, ground reed grass, bent grass and others. In shallow water, the Meshchersky Lakes (the map of the reservoir reflects their features) are “populated” with forest reeds, reeds and blister sedge. In some places the coast is littered, traces of fires are visible. In the eastern part of the reservoir, there is a storm collector, through which waters of a passing communication channel enter the lake.
The northern shore of the lake is fenced with a concrete barrier 2.5 meters high, as a result, it is practically devoid of vegetation. On the contrary, on the south side the situation is different, here there is a dense strip of sedge, manna and other representatives of the flora of humid zones.
Meshcherskoye Lake - photos of the reservoir only partially convey its beauty - it is also a zone of natural development of zooplankton, which is characterized by a low biomass value. Its species composition is typical for this part of Russia: rotifers, cladocerans, copepods and others.
Meshchersky Lake is classified as a reservoir of the 2nd fish category. In the literal zone there are small areas of the water area, overgrown with aquatic vegetation, which serves as a place for fish spawning. In the reservoir as a whole, there are favorable conditions for the habitat and reproduction of fish. There are about 12 species here: perch, roach, topfish, char, etc. Birds of the gull family feed on the lake, including the little tern, listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and the region.
Meshchersky Lake, as already mentioned, leaves much to be desired in terms of general sanitary indicators of the state of the reservoir. Especiallythe sad thing is that the indicators of this state (color, transparency, carbon dioxide content) correspond to those of most other ponds in the country.
Meshcherskoye Lake still plays an important water protection role for the Volga River, and also serves as a recreational resource for the residents of Nizhny Novgorod. The reservoir is used for swimming, amateur fishing and has aesthetic value in general.
