The largest and longest river in the Vologda Oblast is the Sukhona. She is the main component of the water flow called the Northern Dvina. The Sukhona River, the photo of which is presented below, has a length of 558 km, the area of \u200b\u200bits basin exceeds 50 thousand square meters. km. Its name was formed from the word "sukhodna", which means "with a dry bottom." It starts from Lake Kubenskoye, where it is divided into 2 branches: Big Puchkas and Sukhona. The main feature is that, for natural reasons, in the spring it changes the direction of its flow. The Sukhona River has a depth of 100 m. There are a small number of rapids and rocky islands.
Geographic features
The Sukhona River in the Vologda Oblast, stretching for almost 560 km, flows southeast in its upper reaches, then turns north and joins the Yug River. The basin includes more than 4 hundred rivers and about 6 thousand streams. There are also lakes, but most of themquite small, the area of which barely exceeds 0.4 km. In the watershed, one can notice dense plantations of forests, occupying about 70% of the total space. There are also swamps. The flow of Lake Kubenskoye, where the Sukhona River originates, is controlled thanks to a dam built several years ago.
A bit of history
The banks of the Sukhona were explored as early as the 5th century BC. Russian people entered this land much later, in the 11th century. It flowed through Arkhangelsk and Central Russia, which made it possible to transport various materials from one place to another. At that time, it was the most important artery that allowed the development of industry and trade. Carrying out hydrological work to improve the conditions for navigation, scientists have established where the Sukhona flows: into the Northern Dvina. Such information allowed to expand its transport capabilities.
In the 19th century, different areas of the river were called differently. For example, the distance from Lake Kubenskoye to Vologda was called Rabanga (the name arose after the construction of the Rabang Monastery on the banks of the river), from Vologda to Dvinitsa - Lower Sukhona, after Dvinitsa - Velikaya Sukhona.
Economic use
Thanks to the North Dvina system, the Sukhona River connects with the Volga. On its territory it is navigable, however, in the summer, the movement of ships is slowed down due to low water, mainly in the lower reaches. Since 1990, passenger traffic has been discontinued, as it wastoo costly and unprofitable. At the moment, due to the release of waste, some areas of the river are heavily polluted with phenol, so it is forbidden to drink raw water. This ecological state of the stream adversely affects the surrounding area.
The Sukhona River in the Vologda Oblast is currently a fairly important artery of the country, although work to improve it (widening the channel, deepening) is not being carried out.
Hydrology
Snow food prevails. Since April, floods begin, due to which large spills (up to several kilometers) are formed in the upper reaches. The Sukhona River freezes in November-December, and opens only closer to May.
Divided into three streams:
Upper (to the mouth). A calm current prevails. The width of the riverbed does not exceed 200 m. There are forests and meadows on the banks
Medium (from the mouth to Totma). The current is faster and more restless. The forest gets closer to the water stream. The depth reaches 100 m, the width of the channel is 240 m. There are many riffles in the same zone
Lower (below Totma). The forest completely rises to the water. The current is fast. The width of the river in some sections can reach 400 m. The islands that were visible before are completely covered with water
Animal world
The Sukhona River has 58 species of fish, 3 of which are lampreys. The following species are common:
- Putin's - smelt, smelt;
- valuable - whitefish, vendace;
- large-sized - pike perch, bream.
Very rare and protected aquatic animals live here: selmushka, trout, salmon, sterlet, char.
The fauna of the forests located on the banks of the Sukhona River is particularly diverse. Here frequent guests are foxes, elks, wild boars, hares, wolves, bears. A little less often you can meet a lynx, a marten, an otter, a mink, a raccoon, a mole, an ermine. Geese, ducks nest in these places, you can also meet hazel grouse, partridge and black grouse.
Plant world
The territory adjacent to the river zone is divided into two subspecies: forest and southern forest. 70% of the entire territory is occupied by forests, in particular spruce. In the eastern region you can find fir, larch, pine forests. In the southwest, only lichen pine forests sprout; such sparse vegetation is due to infertile soil. In the south - mountain ash and linden. Aspen and birch forests are the least common; they replace cut down spruce groves. Bogs occupy 10% of the total area. Here you can see undersized pines, birches. 14% is occupied by meadows and arable lands. Meadows account for only 7%. Cereal, wet grass and sedge plantings predominate. Large-sedge and large-grass forests also grow along the Sukhona valley.
It is quite possible to track all the diversity of the water flow from its source to the mouth, because the Sukhona River is very clearly visible on the map. For example, in the area from Lake Kubenskoye to Shuiskoye village there is a birch forest, in which aspen, spruce and alder sometimes grow. For natural reasons, he strongly receded from the coast, onwhich is now covered with wide meadows. From s. Shuisky to Totma, they are replaced by forests. Then the river, making a turn to the north, again moves away from him. Closer to the shores, the forest approaches only near the tributary of the Tolshma. In the place where the river approaches the mouth, it is replaced by steep banks.
Environmental situation
At the moment, the environmental situation in Sukhona is not encouraging. At least it contains lignosulfonates, the content of which is exceeded by 30 times. Scientists report that every day the river receives 180 thousand m3 of industrial and domestic waters containing organic matter. At the moment, due to non-compliance with the norms, the quality of water supplied from the Sukhona remains at a low level, while in some areas this condition has reached a critical point. A record number of factories have been built on its banks, which adversely affect the state of the water flow. The fact that in 2006, under the threat of flooding due to excessive snowmelt, the region was threatened with an ecological disaster already speaks volumes.
On the banks of the Sukhona stands a great city and the birthplace of Father Frost - Veliky Ustyug. There is a huge number of things that characterize the Russian city: domes, lace, huts, bells. In addition to this settlement, Sokol and Totma were built on the river.
Earlier, this water flow was important for the state, as evidenced by the Suhonskaya street named after him, which is located in one of the districts of Moscow. Unfortunately, the water flow has stoppedappreciated, and his condition worsens every day.
