Tomsk is located in the eastern part of Western Siberia, on the same latitude as Riga, Edinburgh, Tver and the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano. The city is located at the junction of several natural zones at once: boundless taiga stretches to the north of it, in the south mixed forests alternate with forest-steppe. In this article, we will pay special attention to the hydrography of Tomsk. How many streams are there in the city? And what is the most important river in Tomsk? You will find answers to these questions below.
Tomsk: rivers and lakes
The surface area of all water bodies is 2.% of the total territory of Tomsk. They serve as sources of water for industrial and domestic needs of the urban population. All the rivers of the city of Tomsk carry their waters to Tom. The largest of them:
- Ear.
- Kislovka.
- Big and Small Kirgizka.
- Basandaika.
Initially, there were several dozen fairly large lakes on the territory of Tomsk. Almost all of them were filled up and destroyed during the XIX-XX centuries. Only a few city lakes were saved from rapid urbanization: Beloe (see photo), Perepet, Zyryanskoe anda number of small unnamed reservoirs.
The rivers of Tomsk have always been rich in fish. Sturgeon, muksun, nelma and sterlet are found in the local waters. The banks of local rivers and streams are real berry plantations. Medicinal plants grow near the thickets of lingonberries, blueberries and blueberries, and in the forests you can pick a lot of mushrooms.
Tom is the main river in Tomsk
The city of Tomsk arose on the right bank of the Tom, just 50 kilometers from the place where the latter flows into the Ob. Due to this fact, the relief in the city is quite uneven - elevation changes sometimes reach 60-80 meters. The Tomyu River formed a floodplain (up to 50 meters wide) and four terraces above the floodplain, which are densely dissected by gullies and ravines.
Tom's total length is 827 kilometers. The speed of water flow in the channel is low and does not exceed 1 m/s. The depth of the river within the city of Tomsk reaches 2.5 meters.
Constant hydrological observations of Tomyu have been conducted since 1918. The average annual water consumption has not changed much since that time. But the water level in the channel began to decrease approximately from the mid-50s, when gravel began to be actively mined from Tom. The ice shell on the river forms in mid-November and lasts from 120 to 200 days (depending on the severity of the winter).
Within Tomsk there are two bridges on the Tom River - the Communal and Northern (New) bridge in the Seversk region.
Legendary river Ushayka
None of the rivers of Tomsk has acquired so many legends and myths as Ushaika. So, according to the most popular parable, the guy Ushai and the beautiful Toma lived in the city. One day they met and passionately fell in love with each other. However, Toma's father did not agree to give his only daughter to a poor young man. Unable to endure parental arbitrariness, Toma drowned herself in a large river, and grief-stricken Ushai soon rushed from a high cliff into a nearby stream. Hence the names - Tom and Ushayka.
Almost all travelers and scientists who visited Tomsk in the 17th-19th centuries mentioned the small river Ushaika in their writings and reports. Here is what G. Miller wrote, for example, in his “Description of the Tomsk District” for 1734:
“Through the middle of the lower city, above the fortress, a medium-sized river flows into Tom, called Ushaika. It sets in motion two mills near the bridge. A little higher are two monasteries - the male St. Alexei and the female St. Nicholas"
The total length of Ushayka is 78 km, of which 22 kilometers are in the city of Tomsk. The average width of the channel varies from 7 to 30 meters. The depth does not exceed 1.2 meters. Ushaika is born on the slopes of the northern spurs of the Kuznetsk Alatau. Today, the river is not navigable, although 150 years ago it was used to transport various goods.
Kislovka, Basandaika, Big Kirgizka
The largest river on the left bank of Tomsk is Kislovka. Its total length is 49 km, the catchment area is about 200 sq. km. The river flows into the Tom near the village of Popadeikino, just opposite Seversk. The depth of Kislovka does not exceed thirty centimeters.
Bin the southern part of the city flows a river with an unusual name Basandaika. Its length is 57 km, of which only four are in Tomsk. The river flows into the Tom within the village of the same name.
The Bolshaya Kirgizka River flows on the northern outskirts of the city, separating Tomsk from neighboring Seversk. It flows into the Tom in the area of the North Bridge. At the mouth of the river there is an archaeological monument - a settlement of the II-I millennium BC, in which many valuable finds were found.
It is worth mentioning separately those rivers of Tomsk that have not survived to this day. Among them are Igumenka, Larinka, Medichka, Elanka, Sea buckthorn. Almost all of them were covered up in the middle of the last century.
