Zola River

The Zola River, also known as the Zola Chai is a river in Iran, flowing into Lake Urmia. It runs north of Urmia and west of Salmas city in West [Azerbaijan province|West Azerbaijan] province. Rising in the mountains along the border with Turkey, the Zola flows southwest along the Salmas Plain. The river has a catchment area of 846 km².

Zola Reservoir

The river has also been dammed for irrigation. The dam has a height of 83m and a width of 287m and is constructed of an Earth-rock dam with central clay core. The dam holds 85 million m³ of water.

Ecology

The Zola river is an important component of the ecosystem of the Lake Urmia Basin. Lake Urmia is drying out and has taken on a red color due to phytoplankton in recent years. The health of this river is a key indicator of the health of the whole basin and is therefore the subject of much study.