The Vyatka River and its basin occupy most of the territory of the Kirov region. This is the largest and deepest tributary of the Kama. The latter, in turn, is reunited with the Volga, and then the path of the water artery lies straight into the Caspian Sea. The length of the river. Vyatka exceeds 1300 kilometers, and the territory related to it is 129 thousand square kilometers. The sources of the river are located in the Upper Kama Upland in the north of Udmurtia, and it flows into Kama below the city of Mamadysh in Tatarstan. Vyatka is characterized by sharp changes in the direction of the current, which causes great tortuosity throughout its length. This is a typical river of plains, following a wide valley. The banks of the Vyatka are mostly gentle. The Vyatka River receives the main water supply from snowmelt. Ice on the Vyatka usually rises in early November, and decreases by the end of April. The river has many tributaries, the main of which are the Great, Tansy, Cobra, Shoshma, Belaya, Moloma, Kilmez and Bystritsa.
Relief of the Vyatka delta
The Vyatka basin is almost perfectly proportional and symmetrical. The area of the left-bank part is more than 61 thousand square kilometers, the right-bank part is about 68 thousand. In the north, the territory borders on the Northern Dvina river basin , and from the west, east and southeast - on the Volga basin , where the Vyatka river flows . In the upper reaches of the water artery there are many swamps, because the terrain is flat and groundwater lies close to it. Numerous forests grow in this part of the river - up to 90% of the territory. Further, in the lower reaches of the Vyatka, afforestation is reduced to 40%. In the upper reaches, the width of the river valley extends for 5 kilometers. Downstream at the village of Melyanda, where it is bounded by high, unsinkable shores, it narrows to 750 meters. Below the Atar bend, the river again expands to 5 kilometers. Vyatka floodplain is mostly swampy, covered with vegetation. Basically, these are meadows with many lakes.
Shipping in Vyatka
Navigation along the Vyatka River is difficult because it is shallow and has a large number of rapids, the depth of which is not more than 45 centimeters in the upper reaches and in the lower reaches not more than 85. On the reaches, the river’s depth rarely reaches 10 meters, but mostly up to 5 meters. At rifts, water flows at a speed of 0.9 m / s. But if the water level in the Vyatka river is high, then its speed increases to 1.2 m / s. The fall of the river from its source to its confluence with Kama is 220 meters. Vyatka is used for rafting wood. In summer, regular shipping is open to the city of Vyatka, in spring, in high water, to the pier of Kirs. The main river ports of Vyatka: Vyatka, Sovetsk, Vyatka Polyany and Kotelnich.
Ichthyofauna of the Vyatka River
The Vyatka River has the highest fisheries category. The ichthyofauna is somewhat different in the upper and lower reaches. The common fish for the river is pike, ide, pike perch, burbot, chub, sterlet, sabrefish, ruff and perch. In the upper reaches there are: gudgeon, dace, roach, sopa, bleak, sculpin and plucking. Sometimes catfish, common carp, podust and bersh come across. In the middle and upper reaches there are: red crucian carp, snapper, goby. In the reservoirs belonging to the Vyatka basin, there are: goldfish, loach, rudd, lake minnow and Verkhovka. In the last decade, silver carp, grass carp, carp and peled were launched into the ponds. In the lower reaches, crayfish live in large numbers. Fishing on the river is possible in almost all ways: spinning, boat, fishing rod with a float, donkey and fly fishing.
The economic importance of Vyatka
The Vyatka River is of great economic importance for the Kirov region. It satisfies household and drinking and industrial needs. The river carries local transportation of passengers and goods. Also Vyatka - navigable (mineral-building cargo) and rafting river. On the banks of the river there are about 30 large industrial enterprises of the Kirov region, which far from beneficially affect the composition of water. Kirovo-Chepetsk Chemical Plant is especially successful in this. Only in the content of ammonium nitrogen over the past 5 years have the indicators increased significantly. Today, the regional administration pays close attention to the issue of Vyatka cleanliness: constant monitoring of discharges into the river and stopping of negative consequences are being carried out. But these measures are not enough. A federal program is being developed that will help to maintain the purity of water in Vyatka.
Recreation and tourism
The Vyatka River is attractive for lovers of hiking and water tourism. In some areas, Permian rocks are revealed, and travelers have the opportunity to inspect grottoes, rocks and caves. A special place of pilgrimage for tourists is a waterfall on the Vyatka River. It has a height of 7 meters. In winter, during severe frosts, the waterfall turns into a fabulous structure, shining in the sun with all shades of blue and green. Experienced tourists implement their own routes. Beginners, on the other hand, are offered some of the most interesting options: trips to the Pizhemsky Reserve, to the Bourzhagsky Natural Complex, “Vyatka Round-the-World”, team building programs, for children - to the “Fairy Tales Reserve”, along the forest river Kholunitsa and much more.