Water resources of the Irkutsk region are quite extensive. They include more than 67 thousand rivers, mineral and underground springs, Lake Baikal, which is the largest on the entire planet, as well as many other natural lakes and artificial reservoirs.
In the article you will find information about the Ilim River, the name of which is associated with the Yakut word “Ilim”, translated as “fishing net”.
Geographical position
The river originates on the Lena-Angarsk plateau at the tops of the Birch ridge, then flows along the Central Siberian plateau, and then flows into an artificial lake near the dam of the Ust-Ilim hydroelectric station.
Before the construction of the hydroelectric power station, approximately eight kilometers from the mouth, the river at the exit of the traps crossed the rapids. The channel of the Ilim River has islands, rapids and canals.
A bit of history
The land of Ilim is rich in historical past. In the twenties of the 17th century, Russian explorers came to the Ilim River. Ataman Ivan Galkin, together with the Cossacks in 1630, set up a winter house on that section of Ilim, from where the route to the Lena River was the shortest. By 1647, the settlement was transformed into a prison, and in 1649 the Voivodship of Ilimskoye appeared on this site, becoming the first administrative unit in Eastern Siberia. The area of its territory at that time was the space of 15 modern areas of the Irkutsk region.
The Ilim basin provides the shortest route from the Angara to the Lena basin, which was quite actively used during the 17th-19th centuries. The so-called Lensky trail passed from Ilim to the tributaries of the Lena River - Kut and Muka. It was used for transport links with Yakutia.
There is another interesting historical fact. In the middle reaches of the river until the reservoir was filled, Ilimsk was located, completely flooded after completion of construction work. Part of the prison and other historically significant objects were transported to the city of Irkutsk.
Nizhneilimsky district
The district borders on the Ust-Kutsky, Bratsky, Ust-Udinsky and Ust-Ilimsky districts. The territory covers an area equal to 18.9 thousand square meters. meters, and the population is - 61.9 thousand people. The Taishet-Lena railway runs through the territory of the Nizhneilimsky District, which is a branch of the Khrebtovaya-Ust-Ilimsk direction (460 km).
The regional center is Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky, to which the city status was assigned in 1965. Today it is an urban settlement. The distance from it to Irkutsk is 1 224 kilometers by rail.
River characteristics
The river stretches for 589 kilometers, and the basin area is 30.3 thousand square meters. km The source of Ilim, which is the right tributary of the Angara, is located on the Lena-Angarsk plateau. It flows into the reservoir at 860 kilometers from the mouth of the Angara.
The shores of Ilim are wooded, due to which nature in these places is rich in vegetation and very picturesque. In the spring and summer, there is a release of water from the coast during periods of prolonged and heavy rain.
The river in the Irkutsk region is a great place for fishing. There are lenok, grayling, taimen and many other species of fish. According to the stories of avid fishermen, quite large specimens of river inhabitants are found in the river. Coastal forests are a good place for hunting.
Hydrology
The food of the Ilim River is mixed (by snows and rains), and there are floods and floods. The average water consumption per year is 136.2 cubic meters. meters per second, 52 kilometers from the mouth. High water is observed from April to June, accounting for 39% of the annual flow, floods occur in summer and autumn.
Ledostavit - October-May, the duration of the autumn ice drift is approximately 22 days.
Tributaries and settlements
The main right tributaries are the Tuba and Kochenga, the left - the Black, Chora, Ireki, Tola and Turiga.
On the banks of the river there are several settlements: Kochenga, Tulushka, Seleznevsky, Naumova, Igirma, Shestakovo and Bereznyaki. 16 kilometers east of the river is the city of Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky.
Economic use
The river is navigable in the reservoir area. The length of this place is 299 kilometers (starting from the mouth). Before the creation of the Ust-Ilim reservoir, the passage of small vessels was possible only 213 kilometers from the Angara. The river is used for rafting and water supply of the population.
Iron ore is being mined in the river basin. The mining and processing plant Korshunovsky works here.