Poulaphouca Reservoir

About

Poulaphouca Reservoir, officially Pollaphuca (from Irish Poll a' Phúca, meaning 'the Púca's hole'), is an active reservoir (for both water supply and electricity generation) and area of wild bird conservation in west County Wicklow, Ireland named after the Poulaphouca waterfall on its south-western end where the water exits the lake. The lake is also commonly known as the Blessington Lakes, even though there is just one. It holds 166 billion litres (43.8 billion gallons, or 0.2 cubic km) and has a surface area 22.26 km2, making it the largest artificial reservoir in Ireland by capacity and surface area. It has a 44.3 km (27.5-mile) shoreline, and is 39.6 km (24.6 miles) from the sea.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.