The Studenica originates from the central section of the northern slopes of the Golija mountain, as the Crna reka, at an altitude of 1,615 m. The river flows northward, parallel to the flow of the Brusnička reka, next to the villages of Crna Reka, Koritnik, Ratari and Pločnik. Between the villages of Devič and Čečina, the Crna Reka and Brusnička reka meet and continue to the north under the name of Studenica.
Valley
The Studenica carved a long and deep gorge-like valley, characterized by the arc-shaped stretching in the west–east direction, between the Radočelo and Čemerno mountains. The villages of Usilje, Pridvorica, Mizdraci, Mlanča and Miliće are located in the valley, so as the Isposnica Monastery and the cave on Čemerno mountain. But the most important feature in the entire Studenica valley is man-made: the Studenica Monastery, one of the oldest, largest and most famous of all Serbian Orthodox Church monasteries. Monastery is located near the village of the same name and after the village of Kosurići, the Studenica curves to the north emptying into the Ibar at the small town of Ušće. The Studenica belongs tothe Black Sea drainage basin, drains an area of 582 km² itself, and it is not navigable. The name of the river, Studenica, in Serbian means cold water.
Controversy
In the valley, the river has a huge hydro electrical potential, but none is used so far. In the late 1980s and early 1990s government strongly pushed a project of damming the river and building a powerful hydro electrical power plant with the artificial lake. After the public outcry and protests from the Serbian Orthodox Church that the artificial lake would damage the monastery the idea was finally dropped. In the late 2010s, construction of micro hydros in river's watershed began, so as on streams all over Serbia. Draining of the streams instigated protests and ecological, anti-micro hydro movements as people organized in various groups to protect the rivers. Two micro hydros were built on Studenica's tributaries, "Brevina" and "Dubočica". During the large floods in June 2020, Dubočica river damaged the plant washing away the road and the bank where the pipes were laid, breaking the entire pipe system, while "Brevina" clogged the tidal wave and debris, diverting the water and damaging the bridge. Both dams are named as damaging for the environment. "Brevina" is located in the Golija-Studenica Biosphere Reserve, the first UNESCO-MAB registered biosphere reserve in Serbia. The river itself was completely rerouted and the natural riverbed was narrowed and left empty. "Dubočica" is also known for the arrests because of the corruption during its construction.
