Colombia is a river of great importance. Where is Columbia (the river)? Features of water flow

Colombia is a river located in North America, in the northwestern part of the mainland. Its length is about 2 thousand kilometers. Flows through Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. The food is mainly glacial; The nature of the flow is short. The floodwater flow and elevation differences provided good conditions for hydroelectric power stations. It is in these places that it is most efficient to produce electricity.

Tributaries

Colombia is a river of five colors, with more than 50 tributaries.

• The largest of them is Snake . It built numerous dams. The first were Grand Cooley, Rock Island. An interesting fact is that at the point of confluence of the rivers Snake is much longer, this is what allows the fish industry to develop widely on it. The area of its basin in this place is larger than the total size of the Columbia River.
• Willacment. One of the largest tributaries. Great river in the USA: it occupies 301 km. Flows, covering the entire territory of Oregon, the Cascade Mountains, the Coast Ridge. At the confluence of Columbia was built Portland - a major city.

• Kooteney. It flows in British Columbia, the states of Idaho and Montana. It is important as a tributary of the river. Its length is just over 700 km. The source is located on Beaverfoot (ridge), then water makes a circle, flowing through the east of Colombia, the US states, and returns back to Canada. Food is provided by glaciers.

• Pand-Orei. The third largest tributary of the river. It flows in the north of Idaho, northeast Washington and southeast of British Columbia. The length of the Pand-Orei is only 209 km. It originates in Montana. The total area of the river basin is 66 thousand kilometers (with all possible upper reaches).

Water flow rate

According to the flow of water, Colombia is the fourth largest river in the United States. If we take into account the runoff, it is the absolute leader among the North American water streams that flow into the Pacific Ocean. At the point where America and Canada are neighbors, the water flow reaches 2,700 m / s. In the year before last (1894), this figure in the area of the city of Te-Dalsa increased several thousand times - up to 35,000 m / s. Already in the XX century (1968), the water flow was significantly reduced - 340 m / s.

Migration of fish

Given the location of Colombia, the river is rich in fish rising from the ocean. Many representatives of marine species, for example salmonids (mikizha, chinook, coho). Frequent guests are also sturgeon, which sail into these waters several times in their lives. After the construction of plants began in 1867, the salmon population declined markedly. As a result, a law was passed banning fishing with seine.

Basically, the migration of fish is influenced by dams and dams, which, it is worth noting, are very rich in Colombia. The river because of them has a weak current in some areas. This helps reduce the number of fry in the water stream. Earlier, their journey from the ocean to the river took no more than three weeks, now this figure is increased at least twice. Such temporary changes significantly increase the risk of death, which leads to complete disappearance. In the upper reaches of the river, certain species of fish live, which never descend into the ocean and can not enter the other part of the water from behind the dams. This significantly reduces the number of their population.

There is a certain type of fish, whose representatives can live in conditions of constant heat and slow current. Mostly they feed on salmon. This is what prompted the local authorities to pass a law to encourage the catching of these fauna.

Ecology

Colombia is a river that is fairly polluted. In addition to nuclear waste, other harmful substances and compounds, in particular arsenic, pesticides, biphenyls, and bacteria enter it. Because of bad ecology in the basin and in the river itself there are fish with a huge amount of toxins. This not only affects the number of aquatic animals and promotes the extinction of species, but also harms the health of the person who uses them. Now work is constantly being done to improve the quality of water and restore the natural balance.

The hydroelectric power of the Columbia River (pictured in the article) ranks first in the US and Canada. It built 14 hydroelectric power stations. It has long been known for flooding all the surrounding territory during the flood, spreading over a long distance.

The most significant changes were made by Roosevelt, the president of the state. He changed the mouth, began construction of the dam in the early XX century. After its erection, the water level rose more than 100 m. This made it possible to create a reservoir.