Stormwater Management Maintains Biodiversity at Pomorie Salt Lake

In recent years large volumes of freshwater from heavy rainfalls have entered Lake Pomorie, causing desalination and posing a threat to the ecosystem and its biodiversity. To help stop this, a Pipelife Stormwater Pipe System has been installed redirecting the flow of freshwater to successfully rehabilitate the lake’s natural salinity.

Designated a protected area since 2001, Lake Pomorie is an ultra-saline natural lagoon which provides a livelihood for both inhabitants and wildlife. Over 270 different species of birds can be found, four of which are considered ‘critically endangered’. The lake’s high salinity also promotes the growth of over 80 different types of plants and over 70 types of algae, which co-exist harmoniously and are important for the ecosystem.

_{Preserving biodiversity with stormwater redirection}

In recent years the lake’s biodiversity has been threatened due to increasingly heavy rainfalls. The influx of freshwater has greatly decreased the lake’s salinity, endangering not just plants but also animals, such as the 17 kinds of amphibians and reptiles, many of which are rare and globally endangered. To put a stop to this degradation, Pomorie Municipality assigned the water engineering company Vodokanalstroy-Kostovi EOOD to install drainage systems around the lake to redirect surface runoff and rainwater into a nearby lined canal. This will help limit freshwater from entering the lake.