The Foki Side Arm Restoration

The flooded surface area in the Malé Foki side channel is variable and depends on the current hydrological conditions of the Danube River. At low flow rates—approximately 850 m3—the permanently inundated area covers 5,800 m2, with a water volume in the channel of approximately 4,226 m3. This state represents the baseline inundation of the main channel during low-water periods.As discharge in the Danube increases, there is a gradual rise in the channel's water stage and an expansion of the inundated volume. Under high-flow conditions, when the entire channel is fully bank-full, the flooded surface area reaches approximately $7,000 m2, representing a water volume of about 8,790 m3. With any further increase in the water level, overbank flow occurs, resulting in the flooding of the adjacent terrain—particularly the island situated south below the Malé Foki channel. At this stage, the flow regime transitions from in-channel flow to the inundation of the floodplain, significantly increasing the retention potential of the entire locality. Such periodic flooding has a major ecological impact, as it supports habitat restoration, increases the diversity of aquatic habitats, and improves the water regime of the adjacent floodplain forests (alluvial forests).