Lake Palčje

Lake Palčje is an intermittent lake in the Pivka basin north of the settlement Palčje in the Inner Carniola region of Slovenia. It fills an oval-shaped karst depression, crossed by Pivka, and approximately 1.5 km long and 0.5 km wide. Its bottom is relatively level at between 543 and 557 m above the sea, but the banks are steep. Lake Palčje is the largest among the Pivka Lakes with average maximum water area around 1 km2.The bottom is at the groundwater level, so the amount of water depends on current hydrological conditions. Usually, the lake fills after the heavy rains in late autumn and again in spring. On average, the area is flooded for around three months every year. The lake's main inflow is the estavelle Matija's Cave out of which the water flowing from the Javornik Hills erupts.