Work on Lake Ceauru, conceived as a man-made lake behind a
dam into which the waters of the rivers
Jiu,
Tismana,
Bistrița and
Jaleș would flow, began in 1965. The last three rivers were diverted in order to fill the lake. Projects and studies were undertaken prior to the start of work. Following
expropriation decree 1037/1965 that June, the over 2,500 inhabitants of three villages (Bălăcești, Ceauru and Șomănești) were moved by autumn, and the existing houses demolished. In 1968 the project was reported as complete to
Nicolae Ceaușescu, and it began to appear on maps. Only the first phase was ever completed. A
dike was built around the planned lake, and a
weir constructed, through which the mingled waters of the four rivers were supposed to pass. Phase two involved the building of an actual dam, with a system for closing the weir. Two functions were designated for the Ceauru Dam: to absorb floodwaters when needed, to protect the mines in the region and to supply the downstream communities, as well as the
Rovinari Power Station, then under construction. The failure to complete the project was exposed when a high-ranking dignitary of the
Romanian Communist Party paid a visit. All the leading members of the construction team were arrested, and the director, a certain Dăncescu, was sentenced to death. Eventually, Ceaușescu commuted his sentence to 20 years' imprisonment and sent him to work on the
Danube-Black Sea Canal, where he died. Local rumour suggests that the project directors used construction materials and funds for their own gain, building a number of villas with these. A dedicated intake was eventually built downstream from the planned Lake Ceauru for the Rovinari power station. This is considered an imperfect solution, as during a drought, both Rovinari and
Turceni (located 40 km downstream) would no longer be supplied, instead being forced to recirculate cooling water, or else halt operations. ==Legacy==