Padula Lake is a lake from a dam on the Furmicajola, a small stream that flows into the Salinelle, a tributary of the Aliso. The two main waterways that flow into it are the Vitte and Vomera streams. It is located on the Oletta plains in the Nebbiu region. Most of it is on the municipality of Oletta, only two insignificant parts belong to Olmeta-di-Tuda.
Caratteristiche / Characteristics
The Padula water reservoir was put into service in 1991. It’s a dike made of dirt (the dike’s body is 87,000 cubic meters), having a spillway and a canal, that allows it to recuperate water from several streams from a drainage basin of 450 Ha. Its maximum capacity is 1,900,000 cubic meters.
Storia / History
The Padula Lake was initially created to meet the increasing water needs of the Conca d’Oru farmers. The structure, put into service in 1991, supplies a pressurized irrigation network in the plains of Oletta, Saint-Florent and Patrimonio and drinking water for the municipality of Saint Florent. But since the needs for drinking water from the tourist pole near Saint-Florent were felt, the Hydraulic Equipment Office of Corsica (OEHC), which became a public industrial and commercial establishment of the Regional Government of Corsica with the law of May 13, 1991, carried out studies in order to undertake the necessary work. In 2005, OEHC the owner, was authorized by a prefectural decree to manage, treat and distribute a volume of water in the range of 2 million cubic meters maximum to meet the needs of the Nebbio region in the high summer season.
Dealing with a water program of the highest order the prefectural decree stipulates that:
- Fish rearing and fishing will be authorized according to agreements that were accepted with the Fishing Federation;
- Access to the reservoir will only be on foot;
- Navigating with sails, rows or motorboats and swimming are forbidden.
Bestiame / Wildlife
Since the Padula Dam was created, a spontaneous wildlife and plant life linked to a humid environment have been able to develop. This development was all the more rapid as the reservoir is not often used as a reservoir. As a result, the water level varies little. This site has become a humid zone favorable to the nesting and migration of humid zone birds. Concerning wildlife, several large categories have been identified:
- Fish ( carp, trout etc…)
- Amphibians ( tree frogs, Mediterranean toad, etc…)
- Reptiles ( European pond turtles / from Florida, ringed grass snake etc…)
- Birds (coot, aquatic birds, gray heron, warbler etc…)
Flora / Plant life
The area is also characteristic of plant life that takes advantage of a Mediterranean climate with the development of typical species of Corsican maquis around the lake (strawberry trees, asphodels etc…) and typical humid zone species (reeds, marsh irises etc…)