Colombia is a river located in North America, in the northwestern part of the mainland. Its length is about 2 thousand kilometers. It flows through Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. The food is predominantly glacial; the nature of the current is fleeting. The full flow and elevation provided good conditions for hydroelectric power plants. It is in these places that it is most efficient to produce electricity.
Tributaries
Colombia is a river of five colors with more than 50 tributaries.
- The largest of them is Snake . Numerous dams are built on it. The first were Grand Coulee, Rock Island. An interesting fact is that at the confluence of the Snake rivers it is much longer; this is what allows the fishing industry to be widely developed on it . Its pool area at this location exceeds the total size of the Columbia River.
- Willamentt. One of the largest tributaries. Big river in the USA: covers 301 km. Flowing, covering the entire state of Oregon, Cascade Mountains, Coastal Range. Portland, a large city, was built at the confluence of Colombia.
- Koutenay. It flows in British Columbia, Idaho and Montana. It is important as a tributary of the river. Its length is a little over 700 km. The source is located on Beaverfoot (a ridge), then the waters circle, flowing through the east of Columbia, the US states, and return back to Canada. Food is provided thanks to the glaciers.
- Pand Orey. The third largest tributary of the river. It flows in northern Idaho, northeast Washington and southeast British Columbia. The length of Pand-Orei is only 209 km. It originates in Montana. The total area of the river basin is 66 thousand kilometers (with all possible headwaters).
Water consumption
In terms of water consumption, Columbia is the river that ranks fourth among all US waterways. Given the runoff, it is the absolute leader among the North American water flows that flow into the Pacific Ocean. At the point where America and Canada are adjacent, the flow rate reaches 2700 m / s. In the century before last (1894), this figure in the area of the city of Te-Dalsa increased several thousand times - up to 35,000 m / s. Already in the XX century (1968), water consumption was significantly reduced - 340 m / s.
Fish migration
Given where Colombia is located, the river is rich in fish rising from the ocean. There are many representatives of marine species, for example, salmonids (mykizha, chinook salmon, coho salmon). Often guests are sturgeons, which sail into these waters several times in their lives. After the construction of plants began in 1867, the salmon population decreased markedly. As a result, a law was passed prohibiting net fishing.
The migration of fish is mainly influenced by the constructed dams and dams, which, it is worth noting, is very rich in Colombia. Because of them, the river has a weak current in some areas. This helps to reduce the number of fry in the water stream. Previously, their journey from the ocean to the river took no more than three weeks, but now this figure is at least doubled. Such temporary changes significantly increase the risk of death, which leads to complete disappearance. In the upper reaches of the river there are certain species of fish that never descend into the ocean and cannot get to another part of the water due to dams. This significantly reduces the size of their population.
There is a certain type of fish, representatives of which can live in conditions of constant heat and slow flow. Mostly they eat salmon fry. This is what made the local authorities adopt a law to promote the fishing of these representatives of the fauna.
Ecology
Colombia is a river that is quite polluted. In addition to nuclear waste, other harmful substances and compounds fall into it, in particular, arsenic, pesticides, biphenyls, bacteria. Due to the poor ecology, fish with a huge amount of toxins are found in the pool and in the river itself. This not only affects the number of aquatic animals and contributes to the extinction of species, but also harms the health of the person who uses them. Currently, work is ongoing to improve water quality and restore the natural balance.
The Columbia River (photo of it is presented in the article) ranks first in the United States and Canada in terms of hydropower generation. 14 hydroelectric power stations were built on it. It has long been known for the fact that during a flood, spilling over a long distance, it floods the entire nearby territory.
The most significant changes were made by Roosevelt, president of the state. He changed the mouth, began the construction of the dam at the beginning of the 20th century. After its construction, the water level rose by more than 100 m. This allowed the creation of a reservoir.