Zusha belongs to the Oka water basin and flows through the European part of Russia through the territory of the Tula and Oryol regions. The river is 234 km long and the catchment area is 6,950 km². Zusha ends his journey on the border with the Bolkhov region, where it flows into the Oka River as a right-hand tributary.
Basic information
Zusha is a relatively wide, but shallow river with a fast flow. It originates at Alaunsky heights located in the Teplo-Ogarensky district of the Tula region near the village of Big Minino. The source has coordinates 53 ° 26′31 ″ s. w. and 37 ° 28′48 ″ in. The height of this place above sea level is 213 meters.
The mouth is located near the village of Gorodishche within the coordinates of 53 ° 26′56 ″ s. w. and 36 ° 23′08 ″ in. e. The confluence with the Oka is 134 meters above sea level. The average slope of the Zushi River is 0.3 m / km. In the course of the flow, the value of this parameter gradually decreases. In the upper reaches, the slope is 1.33%, in the middle part - 0.4%, and in the lower reaches - 0.2%.
Zushi pool is heavily forested. Vegetation densely approaches the shores. The density of the river network within the basin (together with the tributaries) is 0.32 km / km 2 . The lake area of this territory is quite low (1%), there are practically no wetlands (1%).
The Zusha River has 19 tributaries, among which the largest are Grunets, Filinka, Gryaznaya, Rakovka and Vereshchag. The remaining rivers from this list are less than 150 km long.
Within the Oryol region, the Zusha River is the largest tributary of the Oka.
Channel and river basin characteristics
Zusha is characterized by a very shallow bed (up to 2 meters), varying greatly in width. The narrowest parts are the headwaters (from 5 to 40 m). In the direction from the source to the mouth, the width gradually increases, but at the end it narrows again. In the middle course, the distance between the banks reaches 60 m. In the lower reaches of the river, the width varies from 35 to 100 m.
| River section | headwaters | average course | downstream |
| Channel Features | slightly winding, with ravine erosion on the banks | is an alternation of almost straight two-kilometer sections with bends | incised in places with intermittent branches |
| Depth, m | 0.4-0.5 on the rifts; up to 4.5 | 0.8 on the rifts; 2-2.5 to reach | 1.3 to 1.8 (normal depth); 3.1 in the reaches; up to 0.7 on rifts |
| Bottom | rocky | rocky | sandy |
| The width of the river floodplain, m | thirty | 80 | 250 |
There are no wide places of the flood type on the Zusha River. The shores are mostly steep and rocky. The meadow floodplain is used for agricultural purposes. The basin is characterized by developed karst.
Geography
Initially, the Zusha river flows southwest, passing through the Korsakovsky and Novosilsky districts, and then abruptly changes direction to the northwest, keeping it to the mouth. This turn has the appearance of a picturesque rounded bend.
On the territory of the Oryol region is the main part of the Zushi river. In the Tula region there is a small initial section of the channel.
Along the banks of Zushi there are many ancient settlements. The largest of them are the cities of Imetsk and Novosil. At the same time, Zusha proceeds at a considerable distance from the regional capitals (Orel and Tula).
Hydrology
The Zusha River has a predominantly snowy feeding pattern. The annual runoff volume is 0.918 km 3 / year, and per second 29.1 cubic meters of water passes through a separate point of the channel (the average value of long-term measurements, which were carried out 37 km from the mouth).
For most of the year, the Zusha River is in low water mode. The flood period is very short (about 30 days), but it accounts for most of the annual runoff (52%). The lowest water discharge was recorded for the winter low water (17%). The summer-autumn period accounts for 31% of the annual runoff.
High water usually begins in the third decade of March and ends around the same dates in April. At this time, the maximum water flow rate is 511 m 3 / s, and the peak - 1790 m 3 / s. During the summer-autumn low-water season, rains can lead to floods that last no more than two weeks. At this time, the water flow increases to 254 m 3 / s. In the absence of floods, it can drop to 138 m 3 / s. In winter, water consumption is the lowest (12.4 m 3 / s).
The freeze up on the Zusha is quite lengthy (about 122 days). The river freezes already in mid-November, and ice drift begins only in the first decade of April. In early March, the upper reaches of Zusha are covered with the most powerful ice crust. In the lower reaches, the layer of frozen water reaches its maximum thickness by the end of February. Melting ice in spring takes about 11 days.
The river is characterized by a fast current (0.2-0.3 m / s), which in some areas has a rapids character. However, Zushu still should not be compared with mountain rivers, which develop a speed of 1 to 4.5 m / s.
Usage and infrastructure
Currently, Zusha is used in three ways:
- relaxation;
- fishing;
- power supply.
Ships used to go along a section of the river from the mouth to a point 35 km upstream. Cargo was transported from the city of Mtsensk to the confluence with the Oka. There is currently no shipping on Zusha.
The Lykovskaya hydroelectric power station was built on the river, giving a capacity of 1300 kW / h. Other active hydroelectric power stations in the Oryol region are absent. 3 dams, which are currently abandoned, were also built on the Zushi bed.
In the ranking of fish rivers Zusha is far from the last place. More than 20 representatives of the ichthyofauna live here. The most effective catch can be expected between May and June. The beginning of the river (the first 10 km of the channel) is considered the most fishing site.