Following an inquiry by bTV, the Ministry of Agriculture acknowledged the need for urgent repairs to the Ogosta Dam.
In 2014, after extreme rainfall, the dam reached one of its highest levels and caused alarm.
“Calm down! (…) Don't panic, don't run anywhere and don't run away to sleep somewhere outside“, said Zlatko Zhivkov, mayor of Montana Municipality at the time.
We asked the Ministry of Agriculture under the Access to Public Information Act what the condition of the dam is today.
The heavy rainfall and the turbulent water have dislodged stones from the lining of the the dam wall, cavities have formed under the concrete reinforcement, which has led to undermining and washing away of earth and rock masses from the wall, the ministry wrote in response.
And more - there is an admission that the removed material must be restored in order to prevent deformations on the wall.
Experts are reporting more problems. The hydraulic oil of the facilities, which has not been changed for 40 years, has affected the check valve - the facility that controls the amount of water released.
“After so many years, when no one paid attention to it and did not change the oil, it turned out that the hydraulic stem, and most likely the hydraulic cylinder, had rusted. And so much so that it is no longer possible to change just the oil“, says Marin Marinov, a hydraulic engineer who participated in the construction of the reservoir.
The findings on the technical problems were also confirmed by the Minister of Agriculture in response to a parliamentary question.
„According to the findings from all inspections carried out, the „Ogosta“ dam is in a faulty, partially operational condition“, said Plamen Abrovski, Minister of Agriculture and Food, in the plenary hall on June 19, 2026.
There are no candidates for the repair, it is clear from the Minister's response.
Documents from the prosecutor's office and expert assessments also point to another problem - deformation processes on the left slope of the dam.
„There is an active landslide on the left slope, which has been described, several times by committees“, says Marin Marinov.
After years of warnings and identified problems, the dam is awaiting repair, and the state is only now prepares the project for it.
What's next: The state is just now preparing a project for repair
Despite repeated warnings and problems identified over the years, the repair of the “Ogosta“ dam is still only at the design stage. The state is just beginning to prepare for the necessary actions, while local residents and experts insist on quick and decisive measures.
The “Ogosta“ dam is facing serious technical challenges and the need for urgent repair, experts and state institutions are alarmed. Problems with the infrastructure, landslides and lack of maintenance call into question the safety of one of the largest reservoirs in Bulgaria.