South is a river flowing through the Kirov and Vologda regions of Russia. It is the right component of the Northern Dvina (left - Sukhona River). The length of the South River is 574 kilometers. The total area of the pool is 35,600 square meters. km In the Kichmeng-Gorodetsky district, on the elevation of the Northern Uvaly, is the source of the river in question. In the upper reaches, it flows southward, sharply winding. Before Nikolsky the river makes a turn to the north. Pichug, Pyzhug, Kichmengu and Shongu flow into it, after which the South expands to hundreds of meters and becomes navigable during the flood season.
River hydrology
The average water flow at a distance of 35 kilometers from the mouth is 292 cubic meters per second. Type of food - mixed, the prevailing name is snow. High water lasts from April to June. The south is a river that freezes in late October-early November, and it opens in April-May.
Nearby settlements
The city of Nikolsk is located in the upper reaches of the South; villages Demyanovo, Podosinovets and Kichmengsky Grodok - on average; at the mouth is the village. Cousineau, and opposite the mouth - Great Ustyug.
The water level during the year ranges from 0.6 to 3.5 meters in the upper river, from 2.5 to 5 m in the middle reaches and up to 6.7 m in the lower.
Physical and geographical information
South - a river flowing through the territory of the Upper Yug landscape. It belongs to the basin of the White Sea. The Volga-Dvinsky watershed is the place where the river originates from. It is expressed rather weakly and represents a surface that is leveled and boggy. Sukhona and the South are rivers that give rise to the Little Northern Dvina, merging three kilometers below Veliky Ustyug. The terrain over which the river in question flows is wooded and flat.
The watershed is characterized by a weak orographic expression. The valleys of the flowing rivers are deeply carved, while the slopes are strongly dissected by ravines, ravines and gullies. A narrow near-valley strip is characterized by features of a water-eroded relief type. The existing river network is complemented by a developed gully-beam structure, due to which there is an increased discharge of rain and melt water.
The flow rate is directly dependent on the tortuosity of the channel, the water level and the structure of the bed. In different periods, it can vary from 0.29 to 5.54 kilometers per hour.
Characteristics
In summer, a severe shallowing of the river is observed, with at least one hundred rifts with stony lodges. That is why ships in the South go only in the spring months. On the site from Nikolsk to the river. Pusma (length - 118 kilometers) is very steep coast. They are composed mostly of loam and dense clay - hard-to-wash rocks. South is a river whose floodplain is rather narrow. Upon reaching the navigable level, the floodplain expands from sixty to one hundred and eighty meters.
The shores on the site below Pushma consist of easily eroded rocks; in spring, they are usually flooded. After the Lower Rystyug (middle reaches), the valley of the South expands significantly (up to eight kilometers).
Nutrition
A serious influx of rain and meltwater causes high floods in spring. This period is the main phase of the water regime of the South, accounting for up to eighty percent of the annual runoff. High water, as a rule, begins in mid-April and lasts a month (in the lower part of the river it can last until the end of June). The rise occurs in about twenty days, and the decline - in thirty. Moreover, the maximum intensity of both processes is one and a half meters per day. Up to four peaks of the flood wave are observed due to the non-simultaneous melting of the snow cover in different parts of the catchment.
Ice drift can be observed in high water. The thickness of the blocks reaches one meter, while they move not only along the channel, but also along the floodplain. Ice drift lasts from three to five days.
In summer and autumn, the South feeds on groundwater and rainwater. At the same time, due to precipitation, the river level may rise by 50-100 centimeters. Sometimes even flooding of the floodplain of the river is observed .
Winter runoff is negligible. This is due to the small reserves of groundwater due to the weak development of the system of water-intensive Quaternary sediments.
Vegetation
A huge part of the basin area is occupied by spruce forests with an admixture of fir in the western territories. Due to active deforestation, forest cover decreased significantly. In its lower reaches, the South spreads and forms wide flood meadows.
Ichthyofauna
The river is inhabited by pikes, minnows, perches, breams, burbots, roaches. As for valuable species, they are represented by taimen and nelma.
Contemporary issues
On the coastal territories there are many settlements, livestock farms, pastures that are not equipped with sewage treatment plants. For this reason, the level of organic pollution of the reservoir in question is very high.
Exploring the river
Active exploration of the territory where the South River is located began in the nineteenth century. Thanks to paleontological excavations, a detailed description of the fauna of the area was made.
The first stage of the study of the South is directly related to hydrological work on transport routes and to the creation of waterways in this region. The first materials on the hydrology of the South and the flowing rivers were published in the middle of the XIX century. Subsequently, hydrographic expeditions were organized. In addition, regular water-metering observations began. Throughout the twentieth century, there was a process of forming a network of hydrological monitoring posts. It was driven by the needs of hydropower, timber rafting and shipping. Data from three water gauging stations, collected since 1949, made it possible to establish the features of the regime of fluctuations in water level, flow velocity, turbidity, sediment runoff, floods and ice phenomena. Serious studies of the features of the relief, vegetation, soil composition and drainage basin made it possible to achieve the most accurate forecasting of the state of the river.
Relaxation
If you can not afford a trip to the Swiss Alps, do not despair. Local beauties are breathtaking no less. The views of the relief hills, towering all over the beautiful shrew of the South, will more than replace foreign landscapes. Thirty meter slender fir trees of surprisingly regular shape, as well as fir and pine trees with dark green dense crowns, have been firmly standing on clay limestone soils for many years.
According to tourists, one of the biggest impressions is the rest on the South River during kayaking. The local churches are breathtaking, which suddenly appear either on high hills or in low bends. Unfortunately, about twenty temples are now dilapidated. They are not used for their intended purpose. Nevertheless, inside most of them you can admire the most beautiful frescoes covering historical events, in honor of which the churches, in fact, were built.
Of no less interest are old log cabins, generously decorated with elaborate carvings resembling lace.
Near Nikolsk and nearby settlements there are many attractions. Among them are stone cathedrals, wood temples, an ensemble of churches of the Archangel Michael and St. George the Victorious, as well as unique natural monuments - White-Boron Boron and Kudrinsky Bor. The opinion about the amazing beauty of this region has been passed on for many centuries from generation to generation.
Thanks to the convenient access, the South is just made for fishing. It is noteworthy that the locals got used to catch grayling on the larvae of ordinary Colorado beetles. Usually this royal fish is more selective.
Adherents of the “silent hunt” will be incredibly pleased with the huge number of mushrooms and berries in the nearby forests.
Recreation facilities on the South River provide an opportunity to accommodate in comfort. Laguna Yug offers rooms from five to forty-two thousand rubles a day for two vacationers. The price includes breakfast.
The recreation center "Victoria" offers a more budget accommodation option. So, a double room will cost 1600 rubles per day. Breakfast is also included.
Susanin Base can accommodate a maximum of ten travelers. Payment - 3000 rubles per person. There is the opportunity to ride horses, a boat, rafting on the river in a kayak, take a steam bath and even take a pilgrimage tour of abandoned monasteries and temples.
Big South River. How to get there
Coastal settlements located in the lower and middle reaches of the South are connected by an extensive network of roads. The largest of them is the R-157 highway. There are not so many roads in the upper reaches, in addition, they are of poorer quality.
Conclusion
The South River is a unique reservoir with a long history. It will give an unforgettable experience to lovers of kayaking. Adherents of less extreme relaxation will also not be bored.