Lake Sukhodolskoye is a narrow 40 km long lake on the Karelian Isthmus

Karelian Isthmus

The Karelian Isthmus is the approximately 45–110 km wide stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia, to the north of the River Neva . Its northwestern boundary is the relatively narrow area between the Bay of Vyborg and Lake Ladoga...

 located in Priozersk District of Leningrad Oblast

Leningrad Oblast

Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. It is a part of the Vuoksi River

Vuoksi River

The Vuoksi River runs in the northernmost part of the Karelian Isthmus from Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland to Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. The river enters Lake Ladoga in three branches, an older main northern branch at Priozersk , a smaller branch few km...

 basin, constituting its southern armlet, and drained by Burnaya River

Burnaya River

The Burnaya is a young rapid river in Priozersk District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, on the Karelian Isthmus, which emerged in 1818. It flows from Lake Sukhodolskoye to Lake Ladoga and is a part of Vuoksi River drainage basin...

.

Originally waters of Lake Suvanto (Lake Sukhodolskoye) quietly flowed into Vuoksi through a waterway at Kiviniemi

Kiviniemi

Kiviniemi may refer to*Mari Kiviniemi, Finnish politician*Kalevi Kiviniemi, Finnish concert organist*Losevo, Leningrad Oblast...

. However, in 1818 the channel that had been dug to drain spring flood waters from Suvanto into Lake Ladoga

Lake Ladoga

Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:...

 unexpectedly turned into Taipaleenjoki (Burnaya River), which started draining Suvanto and decreased its level by 7 m. The Kiviniemi waterway dried out. In 1857 a channel was dug there, but the stream reversed direction, revealed rapids and rendered navigation at Kiviniemi impossible. Since 1857 Lake Sukhodolskoye and Burnaya River have constituted the southern armlet of Vuoksi River, which has decreased the level of the original northern armlet flowing through Priozersk

Priozersk

Priozersk is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, centered on an island at the southwestern shore of Lake Ladoga, at the estuary of the northern armlet of River Vuoksi on the Karelian Isthmus. It is served by a station of the Saint Petersburg-Kuznechnoye railroad with the same name...

by 4 m.