The Vyatka River is the main waterway of the Kirov Region

The Vyatka River and its basin occupy most of the territory of the Kirov region. It is the largest and most abundant tributary of the Kama. The latter, in turn, reunites with the Volga, and further the path of the waterway lies straight to the Caspian Sea. The length of the river. Vyatka exceeds 1,300 kilometers, and the territory related to it is 129,000 square kilometers. The sources of the river are in the Verkhnekamsk Upland in the north of Udmurtia, and in the Kama it flows below the city of Mamadysh in Tatarstan. Vyatka is marked by sharp changes in the direction of the current, which causes a large tortuosity throughout its entire length. This is a typical river of the plains, following the broad valley. The banks of Vyatka are mostly flat. The main water supply the river Vyatka receives from snowmelt. Ice on Vyatka usually rises in early November, and comes off by the end of April. The river has many tributaries, the main ones are the Great, Tansy, Cobra, Shoshma, Belaya, Moloma, Kil'mez and Bystrica.

Relief of the Vyatka delta

The Vyatka basin is almost perfectly proportional and symmetrical. The area of the left-bank part - more than 61 thousand square kilometers, right-bank - about 68 thousand. In the north, the territory borders the river basin of the Northern Dvina, and from the west, east and southeast - with the Volga basin , where the Vyatka River flows . In the upper reaches of the waterway there are many marshes, since the terrain is flat and the groundwater is very close. In this part of the river, numerous forests grow - up to 90% of the territory. Further in the lower reaches of Vyatka, the forest cover is reduced to 40%. In the upper reaches, the width of the river valley stretches for 5 kilometers. Downstream in the village of Melanda, where it is surrounded by high unsinkable beaches, it narrows to 750 meters. Below the Atar bend, the river again extends to 5 kilometers. The floodplain of Vyatka is mostly boggy, covered with vegetation. Basically - a meadow with many lakes.

Shipping on Vyatka

Shipping in Vyatka is difficult, because it is shallow and has a large number of rifts, the depth of which is not more than 45 centimeters in the upper reaches, and in the lower reaches - no more than 85. On the reaches, the depth of the river occasionally reaches 10 meters, but mostly up to 5 meters. On the watercourse the 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 the sources to the confluence in the Kama is 220 meters. The Vyatka is used for rafting the forest. In summer, regular navigation is open to the city of Vyatka, in spring, in flood, to the pier Kirs. The main river ports of Vyatka: Vyatka, Sovetsk, Vyatskie Polyany and Kotelnich.

Ichthyofauna of the Vyatka River

The Vyatka River has the highest fishery category. Ichthyofauna is somewhat different in the upper reaches and lower reaches. Common fish for the river are pike, ide, pike perch, burbot, chub, sterlet, Czech, ruff and perch. In the upper current there are: gudgeon, dace, roach, sopa, glue, sculpin and pinching. Sometimes there are catfish, carp, podost and bersh. In the middle and upper reaches there are: silver crucian, burr, bullock. In reservoirs belonging to the Vyatka basin, there are: golden crucian, loach, rudd, lake minnow and top. In the last decade in the ponds were launched carnival, white carp, carp and peled. In the lower reaches in a large number live crawfish. Fishing on the river is possible in almost all ways: spinning, boat, fishing rod with float, donka and fly fishing.

Economic importance of Vyatka

The Vyatka River is of great economic importance for the Kirov region. It satisfies domestic, drinking and industrial needs. Local transportation of passengers and cargo is carried out along the river. Also Vyatka is navigable (mineral-building cargoes) and a floating river. On the banks of the river there are about 30 large industrial enterprises of the Kirov region, which do not have a beneficial effect on the water composition. Particularly successful in this Kirovo-Chepetsky chemical plant. Only for the content of ammonium nitrogen over the past 5 years, the indicators have increased significantly. To date, the administration of the region has paid close attention to the purity of Vyatka: constant monitoring of discharges into the river and the cessation of negative consequences are being conducted. But these measures are not enough. Now the Federal program is being developed, which will preserve the purity of water in Vyatka.

Recreation and tourism

The river Vyatka is attractive for lovers of hiking and water tourism. Permian rocks are uncovered in some areas, and travelers have the opportunity to inspect grottoes, rocks and caves. A special place for pilgrimage of tourists is the waterfall on the river Vyatka. It has a height of 7 meters. In winter, during severe frosts, the waterfall turns into a fairytale structure shining in the sun with all shades of blue and green. Experienced tourists implement the routes themselves. The newcomers are offered several most interesting options: trips to the Pizhsky Reserve, Burzhag Nature Complex, Vyatka Circumnavigation, programs for team building, for children - to the "Reserve of Fairy Tales", along the forest river Kholunice and much more.