Velencei Lake faces critical water shortage as costly revival plans are debated

Hungary’s Velencei Lake has plunged to a water level of 66 cm, far below the usual spring benchmark, and experts warn that summer evaporation could lower it by another 30‑50 cm, risking near‑complete drying. The State Audit Office notes that restoring the lake would require roughly 15 million m³ of water, a volume that the lake’s small natural catchment cannot provide.

The artificial water‑supply system installed in the 1970s – comprising the Császár‑water line and the Zámolyi and Pátkai reservoirs – is in poor condition. Sedimentation and water‑quality problems have rendered the reservoirs ineffective, prompting a 2024 reconstruction estimate of 24.5 billion HUF, up from an earlier 6.3 billion HUF projection. Funding could be sought from EU environmental and energy‑efficiency programmes.

Five restoration concepts are being discussed: (1) diverting water from the Val‑völgy streams (cost 150‑500 million HUF, seasonal and limited), (2) fully rebuilding the Zámolyi‑Pátkai reservoirs (most expensive but uses existing infrastructure), (3) pumping water from the Danube (multi‑billion‑HUF, carries invasive‑species risk), (4) using treated wastewater from nearby treatment plants (moderate cost, nutrient‑loading concern), and (5) tapping karst springs (high water quality but previously rejected due to potential waste of drinking water). The government has announced a water‑management coordination centre and a 257 billion HUF KEHOP water‑development programme to support drought‑affected farmers and lake restoration.