Multimillion-dollar Moscow is supplied with water by several canals and water pipelines, because per day its indigenous and visiting residents spend almost 5 million cubic meters of water. Akulovsky water utility is considered its largest supplier. This man-made hydraulic construction, performing the seemingly most trivial task - to provide the capital with water, from the very moment of its design to the present day is accompanied by secrets and even some mysticism. Previously, people tried to bypass this place; now, on the contrary, many people strive here at any time of the year - to breathe fresh air and enjoy nature. Let us and we take a little virtual walk to him.
Specifications
The Akulovsky water canal, or, as it sounds officially, the “Akulovsky waterworks”, flows from the Uchinsky reservoir, named after the Ucha River (a tributary of Klyazma). He enters the hydraulic system of the channel. Moscow and consists not only of the water channel, but also of a whole complex of structures that purify water, check its purity and compliance with GOSTs, ditches, protecting the canal from surface runoff, drainage, level controls and other important devices. Its length is small, only 28 km, of which 18.7 km are laid on the surface, and 9.3 - in huge reinforced concrete pipes with a diameter of almost 3 meters. The capacity of the entire waterworks is 18 cubic meters of water per second, which not every full-flowing river can boast of. For ease of maintenance, the entire length is divided into separate sections. It would seem that everything is envisaged here, so that the Muscovites will be delivered water in the best possible way.
Nature on the territory of the waterworks
Residents of the settlements along which the Akulovsky Vodokanal passes - Koroleva, Pushkino, Schelkovo, Cherkizovo, even Mytishchi - seek to get to it on the weekend to relax their souls and enjoy amazing views. Here is a real paradise for athletes, runners, cyclists, mothers with prams, older couples who love leisurely walks. The hydraulic unit is made in two, and in some areas even in three channels. The distance between them is several meters, that is, very small. The coast of the ground is “dressed” in concrete, and the shape of the channel is made in the form of a trapezoid. In some places, grass has crept into the concrete cracks, so now the shores represent a picture closer to the natural nature. There are also completely abandoned sites, resembling, rather, a natural stream than an important state facility Akulovsky Vodokanal. The photo below captures one of them. The trajectory of the open part of the waterworks is laid along coniferous and deciduous sections of forest parks. Countless flowers grow around, there are various shrubs. Dozens of birds nest in the trees, ducks and other waterfowl have been noticed more than once on the water surface of the canal. In the forest zone you can find nimble squirrels and even moose.
Vodokanal Akulovsky: where is it located
To the north-east of Moscow is the Uchinskoye reservoir, which exists exclusively to supply the capital with water. Near the village of Prussia, it smoothly passes into the Pyalovskoe reservoir. Around this place, the Akulovsky waterworks begins, passes by Manyukhino, crosses the Uchinsky forest zone, touches the edge of the Pirogovsky forest park, crosses the railway. D. branch in the region of Chelyuskinskaya station, Yaroslavl highway. All this time the famous Akulovsky water canal passes in pipes. Korolev (the borders of the forbidden territory begin near this particular city) is conditionally divided by underground hydraulic construction into the old and new parts. Outside the city of astronauts, the canal comes to the surface and flows peacefully near the Committee Forest, on the territory of Elk Island, crosses the Shchelkovo Highway and ends its journey in the basin of the Eastern Hydrotreating Station. It got its name from the village of Akulovo, flooded during the creation of the Uchinsky reservoir. She never had a relationship with predatory fish. They named it after the formerly popular in Russia male name Sharks. To maintain the reservoir, a village was built, in memory of the village also called Akulovo. It exists to this day.
Vodokanal Akulovsky: how to get
You can get to this object by private car from Korolev, the village of Oboldino, Schelkovo. You can also get by public transport, such as an electric train. You need to go to the Chelyuskinskaya platform. There are two routes from here. The first is along the train. D. branches to go before moving and turn onto the road along the canal. The second is to go to the Shokoladka pond, then to the south-east along the paths of the Chelyuskinsky forest to the canal (here it is underground).
Another option is to take a 516 m minibus or buses No. 283, 396, 716, 447 and 338 from the Shchelkovo metro station to the Vostochny Selo stop, then walk about 70 meters to the checkpoint and barrier and turn onto a path into the forest. She will lead to the channel.
There is such an option: get on minibuses 338 or 395, drive through the Vostochny settlement and just ask the driver to make a stop at the water utility.
Two words about the history of creation
They decided to build the Akulovsky water canal because Moscow lacked water. In 1935, they developed a plan for watering the capital, according to which a large water ring from the Klyazma reservoir through Mytishchi and other areas to the Moscow River should appear on the maps, approximately at the location of the South Port. For various reasons, this project was not fully implemented, but in a smaller version, namely from the Uchinsky reservoir to the Eastern (formerly Stalin) waterworks, it was implemented. The canal began to be built in 1935 and commissioned in 1937. It was erected exclusively by the hands of prisoners of the Gulag. Only now the whole terrible truth about this grand construction site has become known.
The secret that has been hidden for more than half a century
Previously, few people thought about those whose efforts the Akulovsky Vodokanal was built. In 1990, when exploration of Elk Island was conducted, finally, the recollections of eyewitnesses of this construction site of the century were published. People said that builders were called canal workers. All of them, except for those holding senior positions, were Gulag residents, lived in barracks, worked from dark to dark in any weather, and died in hundreds. Local residents more than once came across anonymous human remains sticking out of the ground. Under Stalin, all who came to work on the construction of the canal wrote a receipt about the non-disclosure of any, even the most insignificant, information regarding the future waterworks. Violation of this receipt was punishable as a criminal offense.
Security now
Most of the existing man-made reservoirs for local residents are wonderful places of recreation with camp sites, beaches, pioneer camps. The Uchinskoe reservoir is special in this respect - it is not possible for ordinary mortals to come close to it (more precisely, 200 meters), since the entire area around it is a protected zone. The situation is similar with the waterworks laid out of it. The security zone of the Akulovsky water utility throughout its entire length is also officially listed as a sanitary one, with a strict regime. In an open area, the channel cannot be approached closer than 150, and in the pipe area closer than 50 meters. In fact, where the channel is laid underground, you can move around. The ban is valid only in the area of pumping stations. In the same place where the channel comes to the surface, the restricted area has been preserved. For clarity, every few kilometers there are security posts and quite serious security guards, some of whom can be negotiated and calmly walk along a path along the canal. More responsible and adamant guards require a pass and without it they cannot enter the forbidden territory.
Where to get the coveted pass?
In our country, an interesting pattern has long been noticed - only a ban is announced on something, immediately organizations (public and private) appear magically, giving the right to circumvent this ban. The Akulovsky Vodokanal is no exception. A pass to its forbidden zones can be issued (of course, not for free) to everyone, including owners of trucks, for example old ZILs, with noise and roaring on completely legitimate grounds racing along the section of protected areas of Losiny Island. As all Muscovites and not only them know, it is a national park with its own special bio-balance, and, of course, no types of vehicles contribute to its preservation, but is it really important for those who need to get out of traffic jams on Shchelkovsky faster! And on the road along the channel there are no traffic jams or traffic lights, the main thing is to have permission. You can get it for a year or shorter periods in the administration of the Akulovsky hydroelectric complex (department of the “Pass Office”) or from the manager online. They say that in the pass office and in the main office there are a bunch of announcements with tear-off phone numbers in which they offer to solve the issue with a pass without any problems.
Canal fishing
There are many stories about the abundance of fish that Akulovsky Vodokanal hides in its waters, but the information in them does not match. Some say that there are many fish in the canal, and you can catch pikes, perches weighing more than 700 grams, roach, bream, and crucian carp on a spinning rod. Others believe that, on the contrary, there is little or no fish there, because pumps pump water. But in any case, special permission is required for fishing in the Akulovsky hydroelectric complex. It’s rare that someone is “lucky” and the guards of the territory are not interested in what people with fishing rods at an important strategic object do. Most often, fishing there can lead to considerable troubles.
Reviews
It is good that near Moscow there are such natural objects as Elk Island, Akulovsky Vodokanal and others. It is very important for the city dwellers who spend most of their lives in the concrete forest to maintain such places where they can at least enjoy unity with nature every day. Advantages of a water utility are:
-reliable and safe source of water;
- a beautiful man-made object that gives so much pleasure from walking near it to both adults and children;
-Excellent bike path in summer and ski track in winter along the canal;
-guard, not allowing to turn this corner of their native land into a landfill.
The disadvantages noted by the townspeople are, rather, not to the channel, but to what is happening around it:
-Prohibition for some and permission for others to drive cars along the canal;
- confusion with passes that can be obtained by everyone, just to be paid.