#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Lake Dolgoye in its history was not only a place of recreation and city beach, but also a landing site for the first seaplanes and the main source of water.
In 1935, the first ShA-2 seaplane, which arrived in Norilsk from Dudinka, landed on the waters of Dolgoye.
The lake was also the first source of water for both technological and domestic needs. A pumping station and the first water conduits were built on its shore.
In the early 1940s, after the start-up of the Big Metallurgical Plant and CHPP-1, the amount of water in Dolgoye reduced. An engineering decision was made – to block the Dolgaya river flowing out of the lake with a dam, and thus raise the water level.
The water level really rose, and as a result, Dolgoye was included in the drinking water supply scheme until the 1980s.
Despite that, every summer a boat station with a rescue post worked on the lake. In 1958, it was officially opened there – with a berth for 40 boats. The station was located on the far side of the lake from Octyabrskaya square, behind the dam. And on our shore there was a real city beach with cabanas.
On hot days on the Dolgoye’s shore, a spontaneous beach could be confused with a Sochi one due to its crowdedness. In 1969, the authorities decided to legalize it, allocating a land plot for this.
In the History Spot’s previous publication, we told that Norilsk could have been built at quite another site.
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Text: Svetlana Ferapontova, Photo: Nornickel Polar Branch archive
