Surface area 200 km (77 sq mi) Area 200 km² | Surface elevation 1,200 m | |
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Basin countries Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||
Lake Nzilo (formerly Lake Delcommune, also Lac del Commune) is an artificial lake formed by a hydroelectric dam on the Lualaba River in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of the major copper mining area of Kolwezi. The lake was originally named after the Belgian soldier and explorer Alexandre Delcommune.
Map of Lake Nzilo, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The hydroelectric dam was built to provide power for mining operations. The infrastructure of this plant is four units and has a design capacity of 10MWe. The last unit was commissioned in 1953. It is currently operated by SNEL (Societe Nationale d'Electricite). The lake also provides a source of water for these operations. The lake was an area of wetlands before it was dammed, and some of the land around the lake is swampy. It has been stocked with fish, and is now an important site for waterbirds. As of 2007 the lake was popular with the expatriate community for weekend water sports. Although the lake is visibly polluted by the effluent from a copper mine, schistosomiasis seems to thrive and a number of infections have been reported.