The Irkutsk Reservoir (known as the Irkutsk Sea) is the deepest. Its total area is almost 155 km2. Read about the Irkutsk reservoir, interesting facts and the history of its creation in this essay
General Description
The Irkutsk reservoir is located on the Angara River. It is located in the Irkutsk region. As mentioned earlier, its area is about 155 km2. It reaches a length of 65 km, and a width of 4 km or more. The total useful volume of the reservoir is 46.5 billion m3.
It was created together with the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station built there in 1958 to regulate the flow of water. Initially, filling the storage lasted for 7 years. Even though the Irkutsk HPP is a low-pressure run-of-river plant, about 139 thousand hectares of land had to be flooded or flooded to provide the necessary water volumes. After filling the Irkutsk reservoir in Lake Baikal, the average water level rose by 1 m.
Flora and ichthyofauna
Small rivers and streams flow into the reservoir. The exception istwo large rivers are Alanka and Kurma. Due to the gentler right bank, the tributaries here are more powerful than in other areas.
In the lower parts of the valleys of the tributaries of the Angara River, as well as in the place of the formation of the storage itself, bays formed. In the Irkutsk reservoir, the largest of them is Kurminsky. Its area is just over 20 km2, and its length is 11 km. In it you can meet various types of fish, but the main representatives of the ichthyofauna of the bay are taimen, lenok and grayling. It should be noted that commercial fishing is prohibited throughout the Kurminsky Bay and the Irkutsk Reservoir. Compliance with the rules of fishing is monitored by a special inspection, suppressing the illegal extraction of underwater inhabitants by poachers.
The shore of the reservoir mainly consists of pine forests. In those places where the forest was cut down, birch trees were planted. Here you can find absolutely wild areas where human presence was minimal, and nature remained in a virgin state.
Coast
The left bank of the Irkutsk reservoir is very steep, and therefore less accessible and undeveloped. It should be noted that there are practically no settlements here. The exception is a few small villages, dachas and camp sites located closer to Irkutsk. It must also be said that most of them are located not on the coast, but at a distance from it.
On the right bank of the Irkutsk reservoirmuch more developed territory, in contrast to the left. A road has been built here, which allows you to comfortably and quickly get to the right place on the right bank. There are quite a few settlements here, as well as agricultural areas.
A large number of recreation centers, pioneer camps, dachas, cottages and settlements are located along the right bank of the Irkutsk reservoir. In the warm season, you can meet many fishermen and vacationers here. The storage facility, originally created for the needs of the hydroelectric power station, serves not only its intended purpose, but is also a favorite vacation spot for local residents and guests of the Irkutsk region.
