The Republic of Udmurtia is one of the subjects of the Russian Federation, located in the western part of the Middle Urals. The region is distinguished by a dense and well-developed hydrographic network. One of the largest rivers in Udmurtia is the Kilmez. It is about her that will be discussed in this article.
General description of the Kilmez River
Kilmez is the second largest tributary of the Vyatka, flowing into the mother river from the left side. The watercourse belongs to the Volga basin and flows through the territory of two regions of Russia - Udmurtia and the Kirov region.
The Kilmez River is a classic example of a flat watercourse with a wide but shallow valley. Here are its main hydrological features:
- Length: 270 km.
- Width: 20 to 50 m.
- Depth: 0.4 to 2.5 m.
- Pool area: 17,525 sq. km.
- Water discharge in the cross section of the channel (average): 84.6 m3/sec.
- Slope of the channel (average): 0.4 m/km.
- Current speed: 0.5-1m/sec.
The etymology of the hydronym "kilmez" is not completely clear. Researchers associate its origin either with the Kilda kelmas (“cold”), or withMari "kylme" ("frozen"). However, the semantics of both these words is similar.
Today, the Kilmez River is used by people for floating wood, and is also of great importance for fishing. Pike, ide, pike perch, burbot, bream, roach, perch are found in its waters; grayling and rudd are found in tributaries. Kilmez is navigable for 75 kilometers from its mouth. In recent years, water tourism has been developing on the river.
Source and mouth of Kilmezi
Kilmez originates on the Krasnogorsk Upland, within the so-called Svyatogorye. This is a hilly and remote area, where several large watercourses arise among forests and swamps: Salya, Ubyt, Lekma, and Ut, one of the tributaries of Kilmezi. The source of the river is marked on the ground with a 6-meter pagan idol, made from centuries-old pine by Krasnogorsk craftsman Pyotr Zakharov.
Kilmez flows mainly in a south-westerly direction, taking in itself, on the left and right, a number of large tributaries. The river bed is quite winding, the bottom is composed of sand, gravel and pebbles. The upper and middle reaches of the Kilmez are administratively located within Udmurtia, while the lower reaches are in the neighboring Kirov region.
The Kilmezi river basin can be conditionally divided into two parts: right-bank and left-bank. The right bank is a low-lying plain with a fairly high percentage of wooded areas. The left bank of the Kilmezi is an elevated and strongly dissected plain, which is a genetic continuation of the Kamahills. Accordingly, the left bank near the Kilmezi valley is steep, and the right one is more gentle.
Kilmez flows into the Vyatka near the village of Ust-Kilmez, Urzhumsky district, Kirov region. At the same time, in the estuary part, the river forms several steep meanders and oxbow lakes.
There are a number of towns, villages and villages on the banks of the Kilmezi. The largest of the settlements (from source to mouth):
- Malaghurt.
- Arlette.
- Vinyashur-Biya.
- Pumsy.
- Kilmez (Udmurtia).
- Kilmez (Kirov region).
- Red Yar.
- Trinity.
- Selino.
Main tributaries
The Kilmez River has at least 25 major tributaries. We list and briefly describe the largest of them:
- Arlet (51 km) - left tributary, flows into Kilmez near the village of Magistralny. It features a smooth flow and an insignificant width of the channel (up to 15-20 meters).
- Ut (107 km) is the right tributary of the Kilmezi, the source of which is also located on the Krasnogorskaya Upland. It initially flows in a westerly direction, but then turns sharply to the southeast. The Ooty basin is almost continuous spruce-birch forest.
- Lumpun (158 km) is a right tributary flowing into Kilmez near the village of the same name in Udmurtia. The river is very sinuous, in the lower reaches its bed is complicated by numerous meanders, backwaters and oxbow lakes.
- Vala (196 km) - the left tributary of the Kilmezi. Most of the channel is located in Udmurtia, although the mouth of the river is already located in the Kirov region. Wala is known for significant seasonal fluctuations in levelswater (up to 5-6 meters).
- Loban (169 km) is the right tributary of the Kilmezi. The valley of this river is very swampy and practically uninhabited.
Food and water regime
The type of river feeding is mixed, but with a clear predominance of snow. The flood phase begins in the first decade of April and continues until the end of May. During this period, the water level in the channel rises significantly, which contributes to its straightening in certain sections of the river. The peak of summer low water occurs at the end of August - beginning of September. At this time of the year, the average water level in the Kilmezi channel drops by almost two and a half times.
The river freezes at the end of November and opens up in the second half of April. Spring ice drift on Kilmezi lasts up to five days. The average navigation period is 205 days.
