Meshchersky Lake - the city lake of Nizhny Novgorod, a natural monument of regional significance. Previously, a small channel of water connected with the Volga River,
but at the moment the duct is washed out, and its filling is carried out due to the melting of snow and precipitation. The length of the lake is 1.1 kilometers, the width is 170 meters, and the maximum depth is 4 meters. Freezing begins here in mid-November, and lasts about 4 months. Soil is sand.
The territory of the natural monument belongs to the natural zone of coniferous-deciduous forests. At the moment, natural vegetation (the same applies to soil cover) is changed under anthropogenic impact. Waterlogging of the reservoir is observed on an area of ββ0.035 km2.
The vegetation near the coastal zone is heterogeneous. The south coast has an inclination angle of about 20 degrees, and from the side of the boulevard you can observe separately standing trees (maples, poplars, willows). The age of local tree species does not exceed 30 years, in places of plantings are of high density.
Closer to the shore, meadow vegetation predominates: meadow clover, wormwood,
terrestrial reed, field grass and others. In the shallow water, the Meshchersky lakes (the map of the reservoir reflects their features) are βpopulatedβ with forest reeds, reeds and bubbly sedges. In some places, the shore is littered with traces of bonfires. In the eastern part of the reservoir there is a storm collector through which the waters of the communicating channel pass into 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, the situation on the south side is different; a dense strip of sedge, mannik and other representatives of the flora of wet zones stretches here.
Meshchersky 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. Its species composition is characteristic of this part of Russia: rotifers, cladocera, crustaceans, copepods and others.
Meshchersky Lake is classified as a reservoir of the 2nd fish category. In the literal zone there are small areas of water covered by aquatic vegetation, which serves as a place for spawning of fish. In the reservoir as a whole there are favorable conditions for the habitat and reproduction of fish. It has about 12 species here: perch, roach, Verkhovka, char, etc. The birds of the gull family feed on the lake, including the small 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. It is especially sad that the indicators of this state (color, transparency, carbon dioxide content) correspond to similar parameters of most other ponds in the country.
Meshchersky Lake still plays an important water conservation role for the Volga River, and also serves as a recreational resource for residents of Nizhny Novgorod. The pond is used for swimming, amateur fishing and has aesthetic value in general.