Ukraine Dam Breach

A breach of the Kakhovka dam was always a possibility given its strategic location and function as a conduit for water short Crimea.  Under control by Russia the dam is thought to have mined it months ago. Both sides have shelled the installation. On Tuesday it was blown up, both sides blame the other for the attack. The thirty meter dam across the Dnieper is about 44 miles east of Kherson supplies water and electricity to a wide swath of southern Ukraine and the Crimea. Its reservoir retained a quantity of river water about he same volume as the Great Salt Lake.  The reservoir also supplies cooling water to the endangered Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power station.  That power plant is partially shut down, with only one out of five reactors operating using cooling water stored on site. [graphic credit: Reuters]

Breach of the dam is an ecological disaster that will take decades to ameliorate.  An estimated four days will pass for the reservoir to reach and equilibrium. Massive flooding has occurred along the downstream banks above Kherson causing the evacuation of about 38,000 people. Flood waters have destroyed structures and threaten to dislodge mines. The consequences for wildlife will be severe. An expert at Kings College, London said that upstream wetlands will dry out and the rapid flow of fresh water into the Black Sea could damage fisheries and aquatic life in the northwest portion of the sea.

The dam also served as a bridge to the approaches to the Crimean Peninsula. Severing the land bridge poses a significant challenge to the Ukrainian military. During the Second World War, Soviet troops found the crossing extremely difficult under German guns. Ukraine's forces have reportedly established a crossing at the village of Oleshky.