Where the Volga flows. Hydrography and historical traditions

If you remembered the Caspian Sea, then this post is for you!
In fact, the Kama flows into the Caspian Sea. According to all hydrological criteria, it is larger than the Volga!
And it even existed for a long time - in those millennia when the Volga was not in sight.
The relationship between the rivers is clearly visible even on the map (and the Volga flows almost at a right angle):

The Volga to its confluence with the Kama is only 1390 km long, but the Kama was 2030 km long! True, the reservoirs straightened the geographical path, if you count it on the map, but it still remained longer - 1882 km.
Almost seven thousand more rivers flow into the Kama than into the Volga.
And they carry an average of 4300 m³/s, and the Volga - only 3100 m³/s.

But that's not all!
If you go upstream and continue the debate about “who is more important,” you will find that the Oka flows into the Kama, not the Volga.
Anyone who has been to Nizhny Novgorod has seen mostly the Oka, not the Volga:

Even if you look at Strelka from below - in all honesty - can you easily choose the main river (Oka flows into the photo on the left, Volga on the right)?

What does the universal reference book tell us about this?
The basins of the Volga (before the confluence) and Oka are approximately the same, and the water flow at the confluence is the same.
But Oka is longer: 1500 km versus 905 km. True, there are conflicting data here - some say that the difference is about 600 km, while others say it is only 187. I believe that the first difference corresponds to the current situation, when the reservoirs have been greatly straightened waterway. But even before the construction of the Volga Cascade, the Oka still turned out to be longer!

Now comes the fun part. Namely: where does all this water come from?

If you say that it comes from underground (everyone has seen the springs!), then this will be incorrect.
In order for a spring to flow out of the ground, water must get there from somewhere.
And the only way for this in the depths of the continents is precipitation - rain and snow.

I had more information about river nutrition and floods, but here I’ll tell you about the Volga and Kama. They are still different!
The Volga is fed mainly by snow: 60-70% of the annual runoff occurs during the spring flood.
And near the Kama, the flow is more even: in spring - snow, in summer and autumn - rivers from the Urals carry glacial waters, plus rain.

But the Kama is a bit far from us, so the Volga is our main focus.

I have long been interested in what the real Volga flow graph (hydrograph) looks like in our area.
For example, I dug up this picture - the change in the Volga regime near Yaroslavl after the construction of the Rybinsk reservoir:

Here you can clearly see why reservoirs are needed!
Instead of low water followed by a sharp peak of high water, we now have an almost even flow - this is convenient for both water transport and agriculture.
And this doesn’t even take into account the fact that hydroelectric power stations generate electricity (see the role of the mentioned Rybinsk hydroelectric power station during the Great Patriotic War).

What about Cheboksary?
Let me remind you that today anyone can observe the condition of the reservoirs of the entire Volga-Kama cascade and a number of others every day on the RusHydro website.
So I wasn’t too lazy and built graphs of the most interesting spring months over several years:

The picture speaks for itself and does not require much explanation.
For the last five years we have been lucky - there have been no floods. But in 1999, 2012 and especially in 2005, already, which is located below the Cheboksary hydroelectric station and takes on the “first wave” of the flood, which the Cheboksary reservoir cannot cope with due to its non-design level:


(photo provided by the RusHydro press service)

This year, a warm February threatened the most unpleasant forecasts, but then came a cold March and a completely wintry April, and:


April 23 (!!!) 2017

So. What did we say about the rains? On Far East they produce large summer-autumn floods!

Well, let's look at the Cheboksary hydroelectric station:
2017.07.09 inflow - 3460 m3/s, total flow - 4320 m3/s
2017.07.10 inflow - 5660 m3/s, total flow - 3740 m3/s
Still, much less than in the spring flood - two to three times less.
However, not so little compared to the same dates last year - almost twice as much:
2016.07.09 inflow - 2440 m3/s, total flow - 2380 m3/s
2016.07.10 inflow - 2420 m3/s, total flow - 2080 m3/s

So the rains affect us, they do.
Either our new bridge will be washed away, then the dam will collapse, then the pontoon bridge will sink... a natural disaster multiplied by the residual principle of financing...

But floods are still not expected on the Volga. From the rain.
And from the snow? What will happen next spring?

Russia is the largest country in the world by area. The largest rivers on Earth flow over a vast territory: the Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur. Among them is the longest river in Europe - the Volga. Its length is 3530 km, and the basin area is 1360 thousand m2.

The Volga River flows in the European part of Russia: from the Valdai Hills in the west, along the eastern side to the Urals, in the south of the country it flows into the Caspian Sea. A small part of the delta extends into the territory of Kazakhstan.

The source of the river is on the Valdai Hills, in the village of Volgoverkhovye, Tver Region. A small stream, receiving about 150,000 tributaries, including 200 small and large rivers, gains power and strength and turns into a mighty river. A special monument to the river was erected at the source site.

The fall of the river along its length does not exceed 250 m. The mouth of the river lies 28 m below sea level. The territory of Russia adjacent to the Volga is called the Volga region. Along the banks of the river there are four million-plus cities: Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara and Volgograd. The first large settlement on the Volga from the source is the city of Rzhev, and the last in the delta is Astrakhan. The Volga is the world's largest river of internal flow, i.e. does not flow into the world's oceans.


The main part of the Volga area, from the source to Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, is located in the forest zone, the middle part of the basin to Samara and Saratov is in the forest-steppe zone, the lower part is to Volgograd in the steppe zone, and to the south in the semi-desert zone.

The Volga is usually divided into three parts: the upper Volga - from the source to the mouth of the Oka, the middle Volga - from the confluence of the Oka to the mouth of the Kama, and the lower Volga - from the confluence of the Kama to the confluence with the Caspian Sea.

History of the river

For the first time, a Greek scientist spoke about the river. Then information about the Volga is found in the notes of the Persian king Darius, who described his campaigns against the Scythian tribes. Roman sources speak of the Volga as a “generous river”, hence the name “Ra”. In Rus', the river is spoken of in the famous “Tale of Bygone Years”.

Since the times of Rus', the Volga has been an important trade link - an artery where the Volga trade route was established. Through this route, Russian merchants traded in oriental fabrics, metal, honey, and wax.


After the conquest of the Volga basin, trade flourished, the peak of which occurred in the 17th century. Over time, a river fleet arose on the Volga.

In the 19th century, an army of barge haulers worked on the Volga, which is the subject of a painting by a Russian artist. At that time, huge reserves of salt, fish, and bread were transported along the Volga. Then cotton was added to these goods, and later oil.

During Civil War The Volga was the main strategic point, which provided the army with bread and food, and also made it possible to quickly transfer forces with the help of the fleet.


Painting by Ilya Repin "Barge Haulers on the Volga", 1872-1873

When Soviet power was established in Russia, the river began to be used as a source of electricity. In the 20th century, 8 hydroelectric power stations were built on the Volga.

During World War II, the Volga was the most important river for the USSR, as armies and food supplies were transferred across it. In addition, the largest battle took place on the Volga, in Stalingrad (now Volgograd).

Currently, oil reserves are being extracted in the Volga basin and natural gas that support Russian economy. In some areas, potassium and table salt are mined.

Flora and fauna of the river

The Volga is predominantly snow-fed (60%), partly rain-fed (10%), and groundwater feeds the Volga by 30%. The water in the river is advantageously warm, summer time the temperature does not drop below +20-25 degrees. The river freezes at the end of November in the upper reaches, and in the lower reaches - in December. The river is frozen 100-160 days a year.


The river is home to large populations of fish: crucian carp, pike perch, perch, ide, and pike. Also in the waters of the Volga live catfish, burbot, ruffe, sturgeon, bream and sterlet. In total there are about 70 species of fish.

Birds live in the Volga delta: ducks, swans, herons. Flamingos and pelicans live on the Volga. And the famous flowers also grow - lotuses. Although the Volga is heavily polluted by industrial enterprises, aquatic vegetation (lotus, water lily, reed, water chestnut) is still preserved in it.

Tributaries of the Volga

Approximately 200 tributaries flow into the Volga, and most of them are on the left side. The left tributaries are much richer in water than the right ones. The largest tributary of the Volga is the Kama River. Its length reaches 2000 km. The influx begins on the Verkhnekamsk Upland. The Kama has more than 74 thousand tributaries, 95% are rivers up to 10 km long.


Hydrotechnical studies also indicate that the Kama is older than the Volga. And here's the last one ice age and the construction of reservoirs on the Kama seriously reduced its length.

In addition to the Kama, tributaries of the Volga stand out:

  • Sura;
  • Tvertsa;
  • Sviyaga;
  • Vetluga;
  • Unzha;
  • Mologa et al.

Tourism on the Volga

The Volga is a picturesque river, so tourism is thriving on it. Volga provides an opportunity to short term visit a large number of Volga region cities. Cruises along the Volga are a common type of recreation on the river.


The journey lasts from 3-5 days to a month. It includes a visit to the most beautiful cities in the country located along the Volga. The favorable period for traveling along the Volga is from the beginning of May to the end of September.

  • The Kama, a tributary of the Volga, hosts an annual sailing competition - the largest in Europe.
  • The Volga appears in literary and works of art Russian classics: Repin.
  • Filmed about the Volga feature films, including “Volga, Volga” in 1938, “A Bridge is Being Built” in 1965.
  • The Volga is considered to be the “homeland of barge haulers.” Sometimes 600 thousand barge haulers could work hard on it at the same time.
  • Controversial point: it is generally accepted that the Kama is a tributary of the Volga River. But geographers and hydrologists are still arguing which river is the main one. The fact is that at the confluence of the Volga rivers carries 3100 cubic meters water per second, but the “productivity” of the Kama is 4300 cubic meters per second. It turns out that the Volga ends just below Kazan, and then the Kama River flows further, and it is the Kama that flows into the Caspian Sea.

  • The Arabs, impressed by the scale of the Volga, named it “Itil”, which means “river” in Arabic.
  • Every day the Volga pours 250 cubic kilometers of water into the Caspian Sea. However, the level of this sea continues to decline steadily.
  • On May 20, Russia celebrates Volga Day.

The Volga is the largest river in the European part of Russia and all of Europe in terms of the length of its channel. The length of the Volga channel is 3530 km. The river ranks 15th in the world according to this indicator. Let's consider where the Volga originates and where it flows, into which sea, and also give interesting facts about this river.

About the Volga River

Before answering the question of where the Volga flows into what sea, let’s consider the question of where this river comes from. great river Russia originates. The source of the Volga is located in the hills of the Valdai Upland in the forests that surround the settlement, which bears the same name as the river itself. There are so many sources of the Volga that if you look from above, then all together they look like a tree with blue branches.

Since the river crosses the territory of the entire European part of Russia, it is considered the national river of the country; it is also called Mother Volga. Many modern large cities of our country have grown on the banks of the Volga. Every year about 250 cubic kilometers of water passes through the Volga bed. If the Volga filled Lake Baikal, whose volume is 23,620 cubic kilometers, it would do it in 95 years.

The entire length of the Volga channel is usually divided into three parts:

  1. The Upper Volga, which flows from the source of the river to the confluence of the Oka in the city of Nizhny Novgorod.
  2. The Middle Volga is a part of the river enclosed between the places where the Oka and Kama rivers flow into it.
  3. The lower part of the river is considered from the confluence of the Kama into it and to the mouth of the Volga.

Mother Volga is fed from its sources, from the rivers flowing into it, as well as from melted snow and rainwater.

Currently, the Volga is one of the main tourist destinations in our country. There are cruises along it, during which you can admire various historical monuments of Russia and its nature.

Characteristics of the Volga River

Considering the question of where the Volga flows into which sea, it is necessary to give brief description this river.

As mentioned above, the Volga River begins its flow in the Valdai hills at an altitude of about 228 meters, which are located between the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The amount of water that passes through the Volga in one second is on average 8,000 cubic meters. In May and June, there is a noticeable increase in the water level in the river, which is associated with the melting of ice and snow in late spring and early summer.

The Volga is connected by a whole series of canals with other rivers and seas of Russia: with the Baltic, Black and Azov seas, with the Don River. The Volga is an excellent navigable river; currently it carries a large number of cargo and passenger transportation. Many industrial, commercial and tourist centers are located on the banks of this river, as it crosses one third of European territory RF.

It should also be mentioned that Mother Volga was and is the inspiration for many literary and musical works which were created in her honor.

The importance of the Volga for the national economy

First of all, the Volga is an important source of electricity. Along its flow, such large hydroelectric power stations as Rybinsk and Kuibyshev were built. Many reservoirs have also been built on the river, which serve to irrigate arable land. In addition, deposits of oil, table salt, potassium and natural gas have been found in the Volga Valley. Active mining of all these minerals, as well as the widespread use of the river for transport purposes, lead to severe pollution.

Main tributaries of the Volga

Before finding out where the Volga flows into which sea, it is interesting to get acquainted with the rivers that flow into the Volga itself along its long course from north to south of European Russia. The main tributaries of the national river are the following rivers:

  • Oka: flows into the Volga on the territory of Nizhny Novgorod;
  • Kama: flows into the Volga a little below the city of Kazan;
  • Samara: flows into the Volga River in the territory of the city of Samara;
  • Vetluga: flows into the Volga near the city of Cheboksary;
  • Sura: it carries its waters to the Volga from south to north, flowing into the national river of Russia between the cities of Nizhny Novgorod and Cheboksary.

Thus, we can say that the main tributaries of the Volga are in its middle part.

Cities located on the banks of the Volga

After the Volga arises on the Valdai Hills, it directs its course to the northeast and reaches the city of Tver, which was built to improve communications between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Further, the river flows through the Ivankovskoye reservoir with a dam near Dubna, and reaches the Rybinsk reservoir.

In its middle part, the Volga flows through such ancient Russian cities as Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod and the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan.

Which sea does the Volga flow into? In the Caspian Sea-lake, however, before doing this, it flows through such beautiful cities that fully reflect the main features of Russian culture, such as Saratov, Volgograd and Astrakhan.

Since the river crosses many Russian cities, it is navigable in almost any part of its course.

Which sea does the Volga River flow into? Let's explore this issue in full. The Volga delta, that is, the place where it flows into the Caspian Sea, is the largest in Europe. The waters of the Volga flow into the Caspian Sea in the Astrakhan region, approximately 60 km from the city of Astrakhan. The Volga Delta is so large that it lies on the territory of two states: Russia and Kazakhstan.

Over the last century, due to significant changes in the water level in the Caspian Sea, the Volga delta has also changed, in particular its area has increased significantly. So, if in 1880 it was 3,222 km 2, today its area is estimated at 27,224 km 2.

As the Volga flows into the sea, its delta is divided into three parts:

  1. Burr's hills or mounds, which are hills linear shape formed from clay and sand. They have a length from 400 m to 10 km and a height of about 8 m. Between these mounds there are settling tanks with salt and fresh water.
  2. Actually the delta itself, which is flat (the height differences are no more than 1 m). There are many active water channels and seagrass plains here.
  3. The underwater part of the delta, which is a platform extending 60 km into the Caspian Sea.

Problems associated with the Volga delta

Knowing now which sea the Volga falls into, we should talk about the problems associated with the mouth of this river.

In 1919, the Astrakhan Nature Reserve was created on the territory of the Volga delta as a measure aimed at preserving biological diversity flora and fauna in the place where the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea. The Volga Delta is home to aquatic birds, sturgeon and other fish species.

As a result of human industrial and agricultural activities, the characteristics of the ecosystem of the Volga delta are greatly changing. For example, from 1984 to 2001, 277 km 2 of the delta area was drained. In addition, a large amount of pollutants and waste from fertilizers that the Volga waters carry with them leads to active growth and blooming of algae, which poses a threat to the existence of other biological species both at the mouth of the river itself and in the Caspian Sea.

The Volga River is a mighty water stream that carries its waters across the European territory of Russia and flows into the Caspian Sea. The total length from source to mouth is 3692 km. It is customary not to take into account individual sections of reservoirs. So it's official The length of the Volga is 3530 km. It is considered the longest in Europe. And the area of ​​the water basin is 1 million 380 thousand square meters. km. This is a third of the European part of Russia.

Source of the Volga

The river begins its path on the Valdai Hills. This is the Ostashkovsky district of the Tver region. On the outskirts of the village of Volgoverkhovye, several springs gush out of the ground. One of them is considered the source of the great river. The spring is enclosed by a chapel, which can be approached via a bridge. All springs flow into a small reservoir. A stream flows out of it, reaching a width of no more than 1 meter and a depth of 25-30 cm. The height above sea level in this place is 228 meters.

The length of the stream is 3.2 km. It flows into Lake Malye Verkhity. It flows out of it and flows into the next lake, Bolshie Verkhity. Here the stream widens and turns into a small river that flows into Lake Sterzh. It is 12 km long and 1.5 km wide. The average depth is 5 meters, and the maximum reaches 8 meters. The total area of ​​the lake is 18 square meters. km. The lake is part of the Upper Volga Reservoir, which stretches for 85 km. After the reservoir, the Upper Volga begins.

Great Russian river Volga

Waterway of the great Russian river

The river is conventionally divided into three large sections. These are the Upper, Middle and Lower Volga. First large city on the path of the water flow - Rzhev. From the source it is 200 km. The next big thing locality is the ancient Russian city of Tver with a population of more than 400 thousand people. Here is the Ivankovskoye Reservoir, whose length is 120 km. Next is the Uglich reservoir with a length of 146 km. North of the city of Rybinsk is the Rybinsk Reservoir. This is the northernmost point of the great river. Then it no longer flows to the northeast, but turns to the southeast.

A water stream once carried its waters here along a narrow valley. It crossed a series of hills and lowlands. Now these places have turned into the Gorky Reservoir. On its banks are the cities of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, and Kineshma. Above Nizhny Novgorod is the regional administrative center of Gorodets. The Nizhny Novgorod hydroelectric power station was built here, forming the Gorky Reservoir, stretching for 427 km.

The Middle Volga begins after reunification with the Oka. This is the largest right tributary. Its length is 1499 km. It flows into the great Russian river in Nizhny Novgorod. This is one of largest cities Russia.

Volga on the map

Having absorbed the waters of the Oka, the Volga River becomes wider and rushes to the east. It flows along the northern part of the Volga Upland. Near Cheboksary, her path is blocked by the Cheboksary Hydroelectric Power Station and forms the Cheboksary Reservoir. Its length is 341 km, width is 16 km. After this, the flow of the river shifts to the southeast, and near the city of Kazan it turns to the south.

The Volga becomes a truly powerful river after the Kama flows into it. This is the largest left tributary. Its length is 1805 km. The Kama is superior to the Volga in all respects. But for some reason it doesn’t flow into the Caspian Sea. This is due to historically established names and traditions.

After reunification with the Kama, the lower reaches of the great Russian river begin. It is steadily moving south towards the Caspian Sea. On its banks there are cities such as Ulyanovsk, Togliatti, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd. Near Togliatti and Samara, the river forms a bend (Samara Luka), directed to the east. At this point the water flow goes around the Togliatti Mountains. Upstream is the largest reservoir on the river Kuibyshevskoye. In terms of area, it is considered the 3rd largest in the world. Its length reaches 500 km and its width is 40 km.

River pier in Saratov

Downstream beyond Samara is the Saratov Reservoir, reaching a length of 341 km. It is formed by a dam built near the city of Balakovo.

From Samara to Volgograd the river flows to the southwest. Above Volgograd, the left branch is separated from the main water flow. It's called Akhtuba. The length of the arm is 537 km. The Volzhskaya Hydroelectric Power Station was built between Volgograd and the beginning of Akhtuba. It forms the Volgograd Reservoir. Its length is 540 km, and its width reaches 17 km.

Volga Delta

The delta of the great Russian river begins in the Volgograd region. Its length is about 160 km, width reaches 40 km. The delta includes almost 500 canals and small rivers. This is the largest estuary in Europe. The Bakhtemir branch forms the navigable Volga-Caspian Canal. The Kigach River, which is one of the branches, flows through the territory of Kazakhstan. These places contain unique flora and fauna. Here you can find pelicans, flamingos, as well as plants such as lotus.

Such ships sail along the Volga

Shipping

The Volga River underwent significant transformations during the Soviet power. Many dams were built on it taking into account navigation. Therefore, ships easily travel from the Caspian Sea to the northern regions of the country.

Communication with the Black Sea and the Don is carried out through the Volga-Don Canal. Communication with the northern lakes (Ladoga, Onega), St. Petersburg and the Baltic Sea is carried out through the Volga-Baltic waterway. The great river is connected to Moscow by the Moscow Canal.

The river is considered navigable from the city of Rzhev to the delta. A wide variety of industrial goods are transported along it. These are oil, coal, timber, food. During the 3 winter months, the water stream freezes along most of its path.

The Volga has a very rich history. Many important things are inextricably linked with it. political events. The economic importance of water flow is also disproportionate. It is the most important artery that unites many regions into a single whole. On its banks are the largest industrial and administrative centers. There are as many as 4 millionaire cities alone. These are Kazan, Volgograd, Samara and Nizhny Novgorod. Therefore, the mighty waters are rightly called the great Russian river.

The Volga River is one of the greatest rivers in Russia and the longest and deepest in Europe.

The length of the river is 3530 km, and at the same time it is the longest among Russian rivers.

Many events in the history of our country are connected with the Volga.

Geographical characteristics

The Volga is the central water artery of the country and flows through its European part through the East European (Russian) Plain. This is the world's largest river flowing into an inland body of water. The area of ​​the delta formed by the Volga is 19,000 square meters. km.

The great river originates from a small source groundwater, located near the village of Volgoverkhovye and located at an altitude of 229 meters above sea level.

A small stream, receiving about 150,000 tributaries, including about 200 small and large rivers, gains power and strength and turns into a mighty river that flows into the Caspian Sea.

The fall of the river along its entire length does not exceed 250 meters, and the area of ​​the basin is 1360 thousand square meters. km. The Volga River basin extends from the Urals on the eastern side to the Central Russian and Valdai Uplands in the west.

Hydrological regime

The reservoir receives its main nutrition from melted spring waters.

Summer rains and groundwater, which feed the river in winter, play a slightly lesser role in its nutrition.

In connection with these features, three periods are distinguished in the annual river level: long and high spring floods, stable summer low water and low winter low water. The flood period averages 72 days.

The maximum rise in water is usually observed in the first half of May, that is, approximately two weeks after the spring ice drift. From June to October-November, summer low water is established, coinciding with the navigation period. It is at this time, when the river is free of ice, that navigation is possible. The Volga is one of the most important waterways in Russia.
Three sections of the river are conventionally distinguished:

  • Upper Volga - from the source to Nizhny Novgorod (the mouth of the Oka).
  • Middle Volga - from the mouth of the Oka to the mouth of the Kama.
  • Lower Volga - from the mouth of the Kama to the Caspian Sea.

The Upper Volga extends mainly in the forest zone, flowing through large forests, while the route of the middle part of the river runs through the forest-steppe belt. The Lower Volga makes its way in the steppe and semi-desert zones. The bottom of the Volga in different places can be sandy or muddy, and muddy-sandy areas are often found. On the rifts the soil is mostly pebbly or gristly.

The maximum temperature of the river at the peak of summer reaches 20–25 degrees; in winter, the river along its entire length is covered with ice: the upper and middle parts freeze until the end of November, the lower Volga - at the beginning of December. The appearance of reservoirs on the river entailed a change in the thermal regime of the Volga. Thus, on the upper dams the period of ice captivity increased, and on the lower dams it decreased.

Nature of the Volga basin

The Volga floodplain is complex and varied. Its flora and fauna are most diverse in the area of ​​the lower Volga, at the mouth of the reservoir, unique natural complex which is represented by 1500 species of insects, almost 50 species of fish, more than 900 species of plants, 3 species of amphibians, 33 species of mammals, 250 species of birds, 10 species of reptiles.

That is why the unique Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve was founded in the Volga delta, many rare animals, birds and fish of which are listed in the Red Book Russian Federation, as well as in the International Red Book.

White-tailed eagle, pelican, great egret, and mute swan are found here. In the thickets along the banks of the Volga you can see wild boar, seals are preserved on the seashore, and saigas are preserved on the steppe plains. One of the world's largest bird migration corridors runs through the Volga delta.

The Volga is one of the richest rivers in Russia, the waters of which contain about 80 species of fish: sturgeon, pike, burbot, beluga, catfish, carp, ruffe, bream, whitefish and many others. Commercial fishing for many species is widespread. Since ancient times, the Volga River was considered one of the best places for fishing.

Thanks to its unique natural resources and geographical location The river has long attracted people to its banks, where they built their settlements, which over time turned into large and small cities with surrounding villages. The development of shipping contributed to the emergence of trading cities - ports located along the entire course of the river. The largest of them are Volgograd, Samara, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod.

Since the 30s of the last century, the Volga began to be used as a source of hydropower. Nowadays, approximately 50% of the agricultural production of the Russian Federation is concentrated in the river basin. The Volga provides more than 20% of the country's entire fishing industry. 9 reservoirs and hydroelectric power stations were built here. Therefore, it becomes quite acute.

According to experts, the load on the river’s water resources is eight times higher than the national average, and 65 of the 100 most polluted cities in Russia are located in the Volga basin.

Environmentalists are sounding the alarm: the waters of the Volga are seriously polluted. Monitoring data confirm that the water quality in the Volga and its tributaries and reservoirs does not meet the Russian quality standard for a number of parameters. The most serious ones arise in connection with:

  • the presence of a large number of dams;
  • the work of large industrial enterprises and complexes;
  • abundance of contaminated wastewater big cities;
  • intensive navigation.

Impact of wastewater

The main cause of river pollution is the discharge of untreated and insufficiently treated waste water. The reason for this lies in physical and technological wear and tear and, as a consequence, inefficiency treatment facilities industrial and municipal enterprises.

The pollution of the Volga water directly affects the condition of its inhabitants. Data various studies showed the presence of mutations and congenital deformities in some fish populations.

water bloom

The appearance of blue-green algae in the river was also noted, capable of actively absorbing oxygen during decomposition and releasing environment up to 300 types of toxic substances, most of which have not yet been studied. About 20–30% of the water surface of the Kuibyshev reservoir annually in summer period covered with a film of these algae. After dying, the algae that fall to the bottom release phosphorus and nitrogen, thereby creating an ideal environment for self-reproduction, which results in secondary pollution of the reservoir.

Presence of dams

According to experts, the situation is complicated by the fact that after the construction of the dams the river lost its ability to cleanse itself.

The Volga reservoirs are virtually non-flowing, and 90% of the pollution that enters them is not carried out by the current and settles at the bottom.

In addition, during the construction of these hydraulic structures,

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