There are relatively few lakes in the Chui Valley and its mountainous surroundings, and all of them are small. The Kyrgyz Ridge contains several dozen mountain lakes. The vast majority of these are very shallow lakes, with a diameter of no more than 0.1-0.2 km. Most of the lakes are located at altitudes of 3000-3500 m. They are fed by meltwater from glaciers and snow, as well as rainwater. In the basin of the Issyk-Ata River, there are three lakes with a total area of 0.09 km². The largest among them are Kok-Moynok, located at an altitude of 2723 m, Kara-Kol at 2873 m, and Ak-Kol at 3114 m. In the basin of the Alamudun River, several lakes have been established with an area of 0.3 km². A large lake of alluvial origin, Koltur Kegetin, lies at an altitude of 2733.6 m. Its length is 0.7 km, width up to 0.5 km, and area 0.2 km²; the dam of the lake is a massive moraine-debris formation. The lake's waters, filtering through the body of the dam, emerge at its foot as a powerful spring. At the point where the spring waters emerge, a deep ravine has formed, clearly showing a tendency for further incision into the body of the dam. Additionally, there is information that especially in years with high water and humidity, the lake also has surface runoff (for example, this occurred in 1979). Both of these circumstances make a catastrophic breakthrough of Koltur Lake possible.
In the flat part of the Chui Valley, especially to the north of the BChK, there are several small artificial reservoirs. They play a certain role in fish farming. The most significant among them are the lower and upper Ala-Archa Reservoirs, Spartak Lake, Sokuluk Lake, Komsomolskoye Lake, and others. Many of these lakes and reservoirs, especially around the city of Bishkek, serve as recreational areas for city dwellers.
In conclusion, it should be noted that the rivers of the Chui Valley are integral elements of the mountain landscape and represent extraordinary interest in all respects. This interest arises from the fact that they facilitate the development of the mountains; the use of water resources, the construction of roads, recreation houses, the organization of various sports and tourism events, etc. Alongside this, it is in river valleys that various destructive processes occur in the mountains: mudflows, landslides, rockfalls, snow avalanches, floods, and others. Therefore, knowledge, even in general terms, of the regime and characteristics of mountain rivers, as well as the structure of their valleys, is extremely important for the development of mountainous countries and for everyone who ventures into the mountains.
