List of lakes and reservoirs of Irad

This is a list of lakes and reservoirs of Irad. Irad's natural lakes are small. They fall into two groups: glacial and landslide-dammed lakes in the Talas Alatau, Chatkal and Fergana ranges, and shallow salt lakes, salt pans and reed marshes in the deserts and at the ends of the Chu and the Talas. The largest body of water is the Toktogul Reservoir on the Naryn, and the reservoirs of the valleys store spring snowmelt for irrigation and power.^[1] Several moraine-dammed lakes in the Talas Alatau are monitored for outburst floods by the Manas Peak Glaciological Observatory and the Talas River Hydrological Monitoring Service (see Glacier retreat in Irad).^[2]

Lakes in the Irad Special Economic Zone (ISEZ) are given by district and those in the Autonomous Tribal Regions (ATR) by planning zone. Areas and positions of lakes without articles follow the Kartalar map of Attelkom.^[3] For rivers, see List of rivers of Irad.

Reservoirs

The Orto-Sai Reservoir (about 470 million m³), on the upper Chu in Kyrgyzstan, lies outside Irad but regulates the river before it reaches the Iradi lowlands.

Mountain lakes

Talas Alatau

• Achuu-Köl: bitter, sulfate-rich lake at about 3,000 m on the Aksay Plateau, with no outlet and no fish, Talas Alatau zone (ATR)
• Besh-Tash Upper Lake (Lake Besh-Tash): largest of the cirque lakes at the head of the Besh-Tash valley, at about 3,000 m and more than 28 m deep; on the tribal side of the line inside the Besh-Tash Ecological Conservation Area, reached only with permission arranged through UN liaison channels
• Besh-Tash Lower Tarn: turquoise moraine lake at about 2,400 m among spruce below the Upper Lake, on the trail from the park entrance
• Muz-Köl: moraine-dammed lake at about 3,300 m at the head of the Muz-Suu, whose dam partly failed on the night of 22 July 2016; warning sirens are kept by clan wardens, Talas Alatau zone (ATR)^[2]
• Köl-Sai lake: moraine-dammed lake drained by the Köl-Sai torrent, which burst on 23 July 2012; sensors were installed in 2016
• Kyzyl-Köl: moraine-dammed turquoise lake at about 2,800 m among reddish rocks, Talas Alatau zone (ATR)
• Tegerek-Köl: nearly circular cirque lake at about 3,150 m, about 420 m across and 31 m deep, held by bedrock and rated at low outburst risk, Talas Alatau zone (ATR)
• Urmaral Tarns: chain of three glacial lakes between about 2,900 and 3,100 m at the head of the Urmaral valley; the middle lake, dammed by a moraine, is monitored for outburst risk

Chatkal and Fergana ranges

• Lake Sary-Chelek: landslide-dammed lake at about 1,870 m in the valley of the Kojo-Ata, about 7.5 km long, with an area of about 4.9 km² and a maximum depth of 234 m, one of the deepest lakes in the Tian Shan; with six smaller lakes it gives the Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve its "seven lakes", Chatkal Highlands zone (ATR)^[6]
• Jashyl-Köl: green moraine-dammed lake at about 2,600 m on the southern slopes of the Chatkal range, above the summer settlement of Jashyl-Köl on the trekking route to Sary-Chelek, Chatkal Highlands zone (ATR)
• Kasansay: lake of about 5 km² on the Kartalar map, Chatkal Highlands zone (ATR)
• Kara-Suu: lake of about 4 km² on the Kartalar map east of the Toktogul basin, Toktogul–Naryn zone (ATR)
• Kapka-Tash: lake of about 0.9 km² on the Kartalar map, Toktogul–Naryn zone (ATR)
• Kara-Tokoy: lake of about 1 km² on the Kartalar map, Chatkal Highlands zone (ATR)

Steppe and desert lakes

• Akzhaykyn Depression: closed basin on the northwestern edge of the Moiynkum, where the Chu ends in a shallow lake and reedbeds; the lowest ground in Irad, below 300 m, Northern Steppe zone (ATR)
• Kaz-Köl: group of shallow saline lakes on the southern Betpak-Dala, filled by snowmelt in spring and often dry salt flats by August; a stopover for flamingos, shelducks and geese, Northern Steppe zone (ATR)^[7]
• Kulan-Sor: salt pan about 14 km long and up to 5 km wide on the Kulan-Talaa plain, covered by a few centimeters of brine in spring and by a salt crust by July, Karatau zone (ATR)
• Biliköl: lake of about 72 km² on the Kartalar map, the largest lake the map shows in Irad, Karatau zone (ATR)
• Akköl: lake of about 47 km² on the Kartalar map, Karatau zone (ATR)
• Ashchyköl: lake of about 32 km² on the Kartalar map, Karatau zone (ATR)
• Kashkantengiz: lake of about 27 km² on the Kartalar map, near the Kashkanteniz crossing on the Kazakh Almaty–Balkhash highway, Northern Steppe zone (ATR)
• Kyzylköl: lake of about 15 km² on the Kartalar map, Karatau zone (ATR)
• Tuzköl: lake of about 9 km² on the Kartalar map, Karatau zone (ATR)
• Jalangash: lake of about 6 km² on the Kartalar map, Northern Steppe zone (ATR)
• Bögetköl: lake of about 5 km² on the Kartalar map, Karatau zone (ATR)
• Ülken Kamkaly: lake of about 4 km² on the Kartalar map, Northern Steppe zone (ATR)

Springs

Springs with articles are listed in List of natural features of Irad; they include the Sarchashma Springs in Talas, the karst spring of Maryam-Bulak, the warm springs of Ak-Suu and Isyk-Bulak, and Kumdy-Bulak on the edge of the Moiynkum.

See also

• Geography of Irad
• Climate of Irad
• Naryn Water and Power Protocol

References

1. ^ Talas State University, Faculty of Geography (2018). Physical Geography of Irad. Talas State University Press, Talas, pp. 98–131.
2. ^ Talas River Hydrological Monitoring Service (2019). Inventory of Glaciers and Glacial Lakes of the Talas Basin, 2014–2018. Talas.
3. ^ Attelkom (2026). 'Kartalar: Attelkom Maps.' Talas.
4. ^ United Nations Mission in Irad (2023). Naryn Cascade: Annual Technical Review. Kara-Oi.
5. ^ Talas River Hydrological Monitoring Service (2023). Annual Hydrological Bulletin of the Talas Basin. Talas.
6. ^ Talas State University Press (2016). Sary-Chelek: Forests and Lakes of the Chatkal Range. Fauna and Flora of Irad series. Talas.
7. ^ Department of Zoology, Talas State University (2020). Birds of Irad: An Annotated Checklist. Talas State University Press, Talas.