Local population in the watershed of Temštica protested claiming that over 70% of the water was already taken out of Temštica which will result in an ecological catastrophe, especially in the canyon of Little Colorado. As a result of this, municipality of Pirot officially opposed the government's decision in 2004 and 2006, but the government insisted on continuing the project. In protest, population of the village of Temska boycotted the Serbian parliamentary elections in January 2007. Due to the continued opposition from both the municipality and the population, the construction of the long tunnel which would transfer the water from the river into the lake was abandoned. The water of Visočica is already being transferred into the lake, so the Temska relies only on waters from the Temštica. Transferring that water into the lake would make riverbeds downstream almost dry and lifeless. In the winter of 2017, the government announced that it will continue the construction of the tunnel, promising they will leave "the minimal needed amount" of water in the river. This prompted further popular protests.