Reservoirs are artificial objects, they are created during the construction of water-pressure structures (dams) installed in valleys large rivers In order to accumulate and store large volumes of water, they solve a number of problems such as:

• Development of hydropower;
• Water supply;
• Development of shipping;
• Economic irrigation;
• Flood control;
• Landscaping.

There are lake and river types. Many reservoirs were built on the territory of Russia (of which 41 are the largest, 64 are large, 210 are medium and 19о7 are small), most in the second half of the twentieth century, some of them are among the largest reservoirs in the world.

Large reservoirs of Russia

The largest reservoirs in Russia by area are Kuibyshevskoye (Samarskoye), Bratskoye, Rybinskoye, Volgogradskoye, Krasnoyarskoye (included in the top ten in the world), Tsimlyanskoye, Zeyaskoye, Vilyuiskoye, Cheboksary, Kama.

The Kuibyshevskoye (Samara Reservoir), its area of ​​6.5 thousand km 2, is the largest reservoir built on the Volga River in 1955-1957 and the third largest reservoir in the world. The lower part is also called the Zhigulevsky Sea, named after the Zhigulevskaya hydroelectric power station built near the Zhigulevskaya Mountains near the city of Tolyatti. The name of the reservoir was given by the city of Samara (Kuibyshev from 19135 to 1991), located downstream. The main purpose of the reservoir is to produce electricity, improve the quality of navigation, water supply, irrigation, fishing...

The Bratsk Reservoir (area 5.47 thousand km2) located in the Irkutsk region on the Angara River is the second largest reservoir in the world by volume of stored water (169 m3). It was built in 1961 -1967. (a dam was built in 1961, the reservoir was filled with water until 1967) as a result of the construction of the Bratsk hydroelectric power station. Named after the city of Bratsk, the administrative center of the Irkutsk region, built on its banks. The reservoir is used to generate electricity, in shipping and commercial fishing, for timber rafting, water supply and irrigation...

The Rybinsk reservoir, with an area of ​​4.6 thousand km 2, is part of the Rybinsk hydroelectric complex on the Volga River and its tributaries Sheksna and Mologa in the north-west of the Yaroslavl region, partly in the Vologda and Tver regions. Construction began in 1935 on the site of an ancient glacial lake; it was planned that it would be the largest artificial lake in the world. The filling of the bowl lasted until 1947, for which almost 4 thousand km 2 of surrounding forests were flooded and the population of 663 towns and villages (133 thousand people) around the city of Mologa was resettled. The reservoir is used for the operation of the Volga cascade of hydroelectric power stations, fishing and shipping...

The construction of the Volgograd Reservoir lasted from 1958 to 1961; it arose during the construction of the Volgograd Hydroelectric Power Station dam on the Volga River (the territory of the Saratov and Volgograd regions). Its area is 3.1 thousand km 2; cities such as Saratov, Engels, Marks, Kamyshin, and Dubovka were built on its banks. Used for electricity generation, water transport, irrigation and water supply...

The Tsimlyansk reservoir appeared after the construction of a dam on the Don River, the city of Tsimlyansk in the Rostov and Volgograd regions (67% of the area) in 1952. Its filling lasted until 1953, construction began in 1948. Its area is 2.7 thousand km 2, it looks like a basin with three extensions for the mouths of such rivers as Chir, Aksai Kurmoyarsky and Tsimla, and in addition to them, 10 more rivers flow here. It is used to ensure transit navigation along the Volga-Don Canal, irrigation of arid adjacent lands, and the operation of the Tsimlyanskaya Hydroelectric Power Station. Also on the shore of the reservoir there is the Rostov Nuclear Power Plant, there are port cities - Volgodonsk, Kalach-on-Don...

Construction of the Zeya reservoir with an area of ​​2.4 thousand km 2 lasted from 1974 to 1980. It was built on the Zeya River (Amur Region of the Russian Federation) as a result of the construction of a dam. In terms of the volume of water stored there (68.4 km 3), this is the third place after the Bratsk (169 km 3) and Krasnoyarsk (73.3 km 3) reservoirs. Commercial fishing is carried out here, the Zeya hydroelectric power station operates, and the reservoir also regulates the flow of the Amur River, which is subject to the influence of the Pacific monsoons...

The Vilyui Reservoir is located on the Vilyui River (a tributary of the Lena), it appeared as a result of the construction of the Vilyui Hydroelectric Power Station dam in 1961-1967. It is located in Yakutia on the border with the Irkutsk region, its area is 2.36 thousand km 2, it is used to regulate the annual flow of the Vilyui River, as a source of water supply, irrigation, for shipping and fishing...

The Cheboksary reservoir on the Volga River (territory of the Mari El Republic, the Chuvash Republic and the Novgorod Region) is part of the Volga-Kama cascade of hydroelectric power stations. The area is 2.1 thousand km 2, it appeared as a result of the construction of the Cheboksary Hydroelectric Power Station dam, the construction of which was carried out from 1980 to 1982. Used for power generation, fishing, motor shipping...

The Kama reservoir was formed on the Kama River in Perm region RF during the construction of the Kama Hydroelectric Power Station, which came into operation in 1954 after the construction of the dam. Its area is 1.9 thousand km 2, and the Perm State District Power Plant is located on its banks. Also, on the so-called Kama Sea, the Kama Cup sailing regatta is held every year - the largest sports competition in the Perm region...

RESERVOIRS OF RUSSIA

The power of running water has been used in Rus' for a long time. Mentions of water mills are found in chronicles from the time Kievan Rus. Such a mill was a dam on a river or stream with a wheel mounted on it. Under water pressure, the wheel rotated slowly, setting the millstones in motion. Ponds at mills are the ancestors of modern reservoirs, and water wheels are the “ancestors” of huge turbines of hydroelectric power stations.

In addition to the mill ponds, ponds were specially created in which water was accumulated in case of dry and hot summers. Reservoirs where fish were bred were also helpful on the farm. Finally, artificial lakes served as a magnificent decoration of the landscape.

Many ponds were built in the 17th-19th centuries. They played an important role in the mining Urals, in the ancient ironworks of the Nizhny Novgorod province and Karelia. The sizes ranged from small (less than 1 km2 in area) to very extensive. For example, the reservoir on the Chermoz River had an area of ​​24 km 2, and on the Izh River (both in the Kama basin) it reached 14 km in length and 4 km in width.

TO end of the 19th century V. the ponds provided energy and water for about three thousand industrial production. A whole cascade of 12-stage mill installations operated near the city of Kashira.

Since the 18th century. Reservoirs in Russia were also widely used for navigation. For example, the Vyshnevolotsk reservoir, built in 1719, was part of the waterway from the Volga to the Baltic Sea.

IN modern Russia a huge number of reservoirs, including giant ones, which have significantly changed the natural environment. Many of Russia's reservoirs are among the largest in the world; Almost all of them were created in the second half of the 20th century.

Reservoirs serve people well. In the mountains they become a source of cheap energy; in dry areas they feed irrigation systems and provide recreational facilities for surrounding residents. On Far East artificial lakes play an important role in flood control.

Reservoirs are distributed unevenly across Russia: in the European part there are almost 1.1 thousand, and in the Asian part - 10 times less. The reservoirs of the northwest are unique European Russia. Almost all of them are lakes that have increased in area due to rising water levels.

Artificial reservoirs have greatly changed the main river of the Russian Plain - the Volga and some of its tributaries: 13 reservoirs with a volume of more than 1 km 3 have been created on them. The transformation began in 1843, when the Verkhnevolzhsky beishlot, a water-retaining dam, was built in the upper reaches of the Volga (8 km below Lake Volga). Almost a hundred years later, the second reservoir on the Volga was filled - Ivankovskoye, which is often called the Moscow Sea. The Moscow Canal begins from here, connecting the river with the capital. Downstream the Volga was blocked by seven more dams with the resulting reservoirs.

In terms of area, the Rybinsk Reservoir can be placed on a par with the largest lakes in Europe. It flooded the wide valleys of the left tributaries of the Volga - Sheksna and Mologa, as well as their interfluves. As a result, a reservoir was formed up to 60 km wide and 140 km long, with many bays, peninsulas and islands. The dam of another major reservoir, the Kuibyshevsky reservoir, raised the water level in the Volga by 26 m; an artificial sea flooded the river's floodplain over an area of ​​almost 6.5 thousand km 2 . About 300 villages and towns had to be moved to a new location, and the city of Sviyazhsk ended up on an island. This is the most stormy of all Volga reservoirs: during autumn storms, wave heights often exceed 3 m.

Previously, the Volga in its lower reaches flooded in the spring by 25-30 km, the water level rose by 8-8.5 m near Volgograd, and by 5.5 m near Astrakhan. Now the entire flood flow is delayed by a cascade of reservoirs. Even the catastrophically high flood of 1979 did not cause serious damage.

Fifteen of the world's largest reservoirs were created in Siberia and the Far East. Their construction began in the 50s. XX century Dams were erected on high-water rivers: Ob, Yenisei, Angara, Vilyue, Kolyma, Zeya. Due to the mountainous terrain, relatively little land was flooded, considering that the backwater (increase in water level in the riverbed) of Siberian reservoirs is 4-6 times greater than that of Volga reservoirs of equal area. The length of the “seas,” as a rule, is significant: from 150 km near the Kolyma and Khantaysky to 565 km near the Bratsky. The average width is relatively small, with the exception of some areas where the water spreads up to 15-33 km.

The Irkutsk (Baikal) reservoir is unique: a 60-kilometer section of the upper reaches of the Angara has actually become one with Lake Baikal, the level of which has risen by a meter.

The world's largest valley reservoir, the Bratsk Reservoir, has a very unique shape: wide reaches combined with long winding bays. Level fluctuations are up to 10 m. The reservoir has great importance for energy, shipping and timber rafting in the lower reaches of the Angara, as well as for water supply to the Bratsk industrial complex.

The Sayano-Shushenskoye reservoir ensures the operation of the most powerful hydroelectric power station in the country. It flooded the Yenisei valley for more than 300 km, but its width was small - up to 9 km. Level fluctuations by season - up to 40 m.

The dam of the Krasnoyarsk reservoir was built on a narrow, up to 800 m wide, area in the Yenisei valley, sandwiched between high rocks. A unique lift was built here. Vessels approaching the dam enter a special chamber filled with water and are transported downstream through the dam on a huge elevator; those oncoming lift them back up to a hundred-meter height.

The construction of reservoirs is, in fact, the most important way for humanity to survive on our planet. The role of reservoirs at all times has been enormous: from storing water for domestic needs, irrigating farmland, fighting floods in ancient times to generating electricity today. Man built the first reservoirs more than 3 thousand years ago in Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and China. Later, such structures began to be erected in India, Iran, and Syria.

We present a selection of the world's five largest hydroelectric reservoirs. Enjoy the views!

1. Victoria, b. Neil (Uganda, Owen Falls hydroelectric station)
   Total volume: 205 km 3
   Area: 76,000 km2 (comparable to the area of ​​a country such as the Republic of Panama)
   Length: 320 km
   Width: 275 km
   Maximum depth: 83 m
   Dam height: 31 m
   Year of construction start: 1947
   Year completed: 1954
2. Bratskoye, r. Angara (Russia, Bratskaya hydroelectric power station)
   Total volume: 169 km 3
   Area: 5470 km 2
   Length: 570 km (equal to the distance between the two European capitals Prague and Budapest)
   Width: 25 km
   Maximum depth: 150 m
   Dam height: 124.5
   Year of construction start: 1955
   

   

3. Kariba, b. Zambezi (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kariba hydroelectric station)
   Total volume: 160 km 3
   Area: 4450 km 2
   Length: 220 km
   Width: 40 km
   Maximum depth: 78 m
   Dam height: 126 (this is the height of four nine-story buildings)
   Year of construction start: 1957
   Year completed: 1963

   

4. Nasser, b. Nile (Egypt, Sudan, Aswan hydroelectric complex)
   Total volume: 157 km 3
   Area: 5120 km 2
   Length: 550 km
   Width: 35 km
   Maximum depth: 130 m (this is ten times the depth of the Sea of ​​Azov at its lowest point)
   Dam height: 111 m
   Year of construction start: 1960
   Year completed: 1970

   

5. Volta, b. Volta (Ghana, Akosombo hydroelectric station)
   Total volume: 147 km 3
   Area: 8500 km2 (occupies almost 4% of Ghana's area)
   Length: 400 km
   Maximum depth: 80 m
   Dam height: 111 m
   Year of construction start: 1961
   Year completed: 1967

   

It is interesting that the next largest five reservoirs are located in Russia: Krasnoyarsk, Zeyskoye, Ust-Ilimskoye, Kuibyshevskoye, Baikalskoye (Irkutskoye).

The main characteristics of a reservoir are volume, surface area and changes in water levels under operating conditions. When reservoirs are created, river valleys, as well as the hydrological regime of the river within the backwater, change significantly. Changes in the hydrological regime caused by the creation of reservoirs also occur in the downstream (part of the river adjacent to the dam, sluice) of hydraulic structures. Sometimes such changes are noticeable over tens or even hundreds of kilometers. One of the consequences of creating reservoirs is a reduction in floods. As a result, conditions for fish spawning and grass growth in floodplains deteriorate. When creating reservoirs, the speed of river flow also decreases, which causes siltation of reservoirs.

Krasnoyarsk Reservoir (photo by Maxim Gerasimenko)

Reservoirs are distributed unevenly across Russia: in the European part there are more than a thousand, and in the Asian part there are about a hundred. The total volume of Russian reservoirs is about one million m2. Artificial reservoirs have greatly changed the main river - and some of its tributaries. 13 reservoirs have been created on them. Their construction began in the middle of the 19th century, when a water retaining dam was built in the upper reaches of the river. Almost a hundred years later it was flooded Ivankovskoye Reservoir, which is often called the Moscow Sea. From here begins a canal connecting the river with the capital.

Rybinsk Reservoir (photo by Evgeny Gusev)

Rybinsk Reservoir The area is comparable to the largest lakes. As a result of the flooding of the wide valleys of the left tributaries of the Volga (Sheksna and Mologa), a reservoir was formed up to 60 km wide and 140 km long, replete with many bays, and.

Dam Kuibyshev Reservoir raised the water level in the Volga by 26 m and flooded the river floodplain over an area of ​​almost 6.5 thousand km2. When creating the reservoir, about 300 settlements had to be moved to a new location, and the city of Sviyazhsk turned out to be an island. Quite large storms are even possible on this reservoir (wave heights sometimes exceed 3 m).

Fifteen of the world's largest reservoirs are located in and in the Far East. Their construction took place in the second half of the last century. Dams were built mainly on high-water rivers: , Vilyue, Zeya. At the same time, relatively small areas were flooded. The length of most reservoirs in this area is significant: from 150 km ( Kolymskoe) up to 565 km ( Bratskoe). But the width is relatively small, with the exception of some areas where the water spills up to 15-33 km. After the device Baikal Reservoir A 60-kilometer section of the Angara became almost one with, and the lake level rose by a meter.

Sayano-Shushenskoye Reservoir (photo by Pavel Ivanov)

The largest reservoir is Bratskoe has a rather peculiar shape: wide reaches here are combined with long winding bays. The amplitude of level fluctuations reaches 10 m. The reservoir is of great importance for shipping and timber rafting, as well as for water supply.

Sayano-Shushenskoye Reservoir flooded the Yenisei valley for more than 300 km, but its width was small - up to 9 km. Fluctuation of levels - up to 40 m. Dam Krasnoyarsk reservoir is located on a narrow (up to 800 m wide) site in the Yenisei valley. It is notable for its unique lift. When ships approach the dam, they enter a chamber filled with water, which carries them through the dam downstream. Vessels going upstream have to be raised to a height of one hundred meters for this purpose.

The created reservoirs made it possible to improve the quality of municipal and industrial water supply in large cities and large cities. The parameters of the country's reservoirs vary widely: the total volume is from 1 to 169 million m2. The area of ​​the water surface is from 0.2 - 0.5 to 5900 km2. Length, width, maximum and average depths differ significantly. The maximum length of large plain and plateau reservoirs reaches 400 - 565 km, mountain reservoirs 100 - 110 km, and width - up to several tens of kilometers. The deepest reservoirs from 200 - 300 m are located in the valleys of large mountain rivers(Ingurskoye, Chirkeyskoye,) up to 70 - 105 m - in plateau and foothill areas (Bratskoye, Krasnoyarskoye, Boguchanskoye, Bukhtarminskoye). In large lowland reservoirs, depths do not exceed 20 - 30 m.

Reservoirs of Russia

The largest reservoirs in Russia

If you carefully examine the map of Russia, then in different regions you can see quite large blue spots of irregular shape - reservoirs. Judging by their size, these are real seas located in the depths of the continent. According to statistics, Russian reservoirs contain about 800 cubic kilometers of fresh water. An impressive number.

What is a reservoir called? How is it formed? What functions does it perform in the national economy? The answers to all these questions are in our article. In addition, you will learn about which reservoir is the largest in Russia. So, let's begin our virtual walk through the artificial seas of the country.

Reservoir - what is it?

In hydrology, a reservoir is usually called a fairly large reservoir of artificial origin, formed by a retaining structure (dam or hydroelectric dam) for the purpose of accumulating and further using water for the needs of the economy and the population. Relatively small artificial reservoirs are also often called ponds or stakes.

Our ancestors have used the power of flowing water since ancient times. Thus, the first mentions of water mills are found in ancient Russian chronicles. With such mills, it goes without saying that small ponds were created. They can be considered the prototypes of modern “artificial seas”.

The first reservoirs in Russia began to be created at the beginning of the 18th century, during the connection of the Volga canal system with the Baltic Sea. In the 19th century, artificial reservoirs were actively used for navigation, and also supplied hundreds of industrial plants with water and electricity.

In modern Russia, reservoirs also serve people well. In particular, they:

• They supply water to fields and agricultural lands in dry areas of the country (through irrigation systems).
• Regulate the flow of large rivers and thus prevent floods and flooding settlements.
• Create conditions for the free movement of large vessels.
• They promote the breeding of many valuable species of ichthyofauna.
• Create conditions for active recreation and recreation of the local population (both summer and winter).

Classification of reservoirs

Exists a large number of classifications of reservoirs. They are divided according to the nature of use, surface area, volume of water, depth, location, etc. So, based on the structure of the bottom, reservoirs are:

• Valley (those that formed in river valleys).
• Basin (formed by damming a lake, sea bay or estuary).

Based on the location of the water body, all reservoirs can be divided into:

• Plains.
• Foothills.
• Mountain.

Finally, based on the area of ​​the water surface, reservoirs are divided into:

• Small (up to 2 km 2).
• Small (2-20 km 2).
• Medium (20-100 km 2).
• Large (100-500 km 2).
• Very large (500-5,000 km 2).
• The largest (over 5,000 km 2).

The largest reservoirs in Russia: list and names

Russia is the absolute leader on the planet in the total number of artificial reservoirs. There are at least 30 thousand of them here. Almost all reservoirs in Russia were created after the Second World War, mainly in the 50-70s of the twentieth century. They are distributed extremely unevenly throughout the country. Thus, in the Asian part there are about ten times fewer of them than in the European part.

So, the largest reservoirs in Russia (by area):

1. Kuibyshevskoe (6,500 km 2).
2. Bratskoe (5,470 km 2).
3. Rybinskoe (4,580 km 2).
4. Volgogradskoe (3,117 km 2).
5. Tsimlyanskoe (2,700 km 2).
6. Zeyskoe (2,420 km 2).
7. Vilyuiskoe (2,360 km 2).
8. Cheboksary (2,190 km 2).
9. Krasnoyarsk (2,000 km 2).
10. Kamskoye (1,910 km 2).

"Zhiguli Sea"

Area: 6,500 km2. Volume: 58 km 3 .

The largest reservoir in Russia (and the third largest in the world) is Kuibyshevskoye. It is also often called the “Zhiguli Sea”. It arose in 1957 as a result of the construction of the dam of the hydroelectric power station of the same name. Located on the Volga River, within several regions of the Russian Federation: Samara and Ulyanovsk regions, Chuvashia, Tatarstan and the Republic of Mari El.

The length of the Kuibyshev reservoir is 500 km, and the maximum width is 40 km. Depths do not exceed forty meters. The grandiose water reservoir is located in the heart of the largest industrial region in Russia. The Zhigulevskaya HPP annually produces about 10 billion kWh of electricity. The reservoir itself provides fresh water to more than one million hectares of agricultural land. Among other things, the Zhiguli Sea is a popular recreational and tourist area due to its mild climate and picturesque coastline.

Bratsk Reservoir

Area: 5,470 km2. Volume: 169 km 3 .

The Bratsk Reservoir, located on the Angara River, is inferior to the Zhiguli Sea in area, but in many ways exceeds it in volume. Accordingly, the depths of the water reservoir are relatively large: in some places they reach 150 meters.

The Bratsk hydroelectric power station, built in 1961, flooded a huge amount of land (including the famous Bratsk Ostrog) and at the same time contributed to the creation of a powerful industrial cluster in the Asian part of the country. Nowadays, the reservoir is actively used for water supply, timber rafting and fishing. Its banks are extremely rugged. Where other watercourses flow into the Angara, quite wide and long bays have formed.

Rybinsk Reservoir

Area: 4,580 km2. Volume: 25 km 3 .

The second largest reservoir on the Volga is Rybinsk. It is located within three regions - Yaroslavl, Tver and Vologda.

The reservoir has a rather unusual shape. 17 thousand years ago there was a large glacial lake in its place. Over time it dried out, leaving behind a vast lowland. Its filling began in 1941 as a result of the construction of the Rybinsk hydroelectric complex. 130 thousand people had to be resettled to other places. Moreover, the creation of the Rybinsk reservoir absorbed 250 thousand hectares of forests, about 70 thousand hectares of arable land and 30 thousand hectares of pastures.

Today, on the shores of the pseudo-sea, there is a gigantic scientific laboratory studying the impact of artificial reservoirs on natural complexes taiga