A very remarkable water body is located a little south of the city of Novosibirsk. This is an artificial reservoir. It was formed in the late fifties of the last century, as a result of the construction of the dam of the Ob hydroelectric station. But today it is already difficult to imagine this region of Western Siberia without the Ob Sea, which has become familiar to everyone, despite the fact that the need for its creation is still questioned by many authoritative experts.
Ob reservoir
Its length along the Ob river from south to north exceeds 220 kilometers. In its southern ending, it reaches the city of Kamen-on-Ob. The Ob reservoir in its course varies significantly in width, from 2 to 23 kilometers. Its maximum depth in the fairway of the channel reaches 25 meters. The Ob reservoir is navigable, the navigation period is limited to the warm season of the year. In winter, it freezes, the thickness of the ice is sufficient to create ice ferries for vehicles. The Ob reservoir has significant hydropower potential. Its volume ensures the stable operation of the Novosibirsk hydroelectric station and the uninterrupted supply of water resources to the millionth of Novosibirsk with its immediate and remote surroundings.
But its creation caused significant damage to the ecology and culture of the region, which led to a memorable discussion in scientific and public circles at the end of the last century about the advisability of building dams on lowland rivers. Such
hydraulic structures irreparably violate the ecological balance of nature and destroy the traditional way of life of many people who have settled along the banks of rivers since ancient times. So the Ob reservoir flooded large areas of floodplain agricultural land, forever buried at its bottom the historical part of the ancient Siberian city of Berdsk and many coastal villages where people lived for centuries.
Today
The Ob Sea is actively used in the interests of coastal residents. The natural place for suburban recreation of the inhabitants of Novosibirsk is the Ob reservoir. Recreation facilities on its coast have been created and have been successfully operated for a very long period of time. But many people prefer to stop in tents and make long trips along the reservoir on various light-motor and sailing vessels. On the Ob Sea, you can find a lot of interesting things. Its islands such as Yelban, Kamenny, Khokhlov Borok, Horseradish, Shlyapovsky, Sharapsky and Semizarodny enjoy great popularity among tourists.
Fishing on the Ob reservoir has its own characteristics, and they should be taken into account. Here bream, zander, burbot, crucian carp, perch, pike and grayling are well caught. You can also find valuable species of fish, such as sterlet, sturgeon, whitefish and peled. But a certain part of the fish resources is infected with helminthic elements, in other words - worms. And this fact should be considered in order to avoid trouble. This state of affairs is one of the consequences of disturbing the ecological balance and flooding of coastal territories.