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Black Sea rivers. Rivers of Sochi Picturesque Krasnaya Polyana

The Mzymta River is at least 50 km of its bed, banks and slopes torn up by the violent pre-Olympic construction: new roads and railways to Krasnaya Polyana, Olympic buildings. The hydrological regime of the river, already complex, is disrupted in a significant part of the catchment area.

The new highway "Adler - Alpika-Service" is a combined road and Railway Adler - Krasnaya Polyana, in fact, along the bed of the Mzymta River is an absolutely dead end, as is the old Sochi-Krasnaya Polyana road, which runs a little further and higher from the Mzymta River.

A whole complex of artificial structures was built in the riverbed: 12 tunnels and several dozen bridges and overpasses.

Mzymta - river in Krasnodar region. The length of the river is 89 km, its area drainage basin- 885 km². The most long river Russia from those flowing directly into the Black Sea.

From the Circassian languages, “Mzymta” can be translated as “mad” or “having no brakes.”

Originates on the southern slope of the Main Caucasian ridge at an altitude of 2980 m, in the upper reaches it flows from the high-mountain lakes Maly Kardyvach and Kardyvach, lower on the river - Emerald Falls. In the middle reaches it breaks through the Aibga - Achishkho ridge, forming the Greek Gorge, and below it passes through the Akhtsu Gorge and the Akhshtyrskoye Gorge.

The river has a rugged mountain character throughout almost its entire length; During the snow melting season in the gorges, the water horizon sometimes rises to 5 meters. It flows into the Black Sea near Adler, forming an extensive fan. The largest tributaries are the Pslukh, Pudziko (Achipse), Chvizhepse, Laura, Tikha.

There are numerous mineral springs in the Mzymta basin. In the middle reaches steep cliffs on the right bank of the river in the Akhshtyrskaya cave - parking ancient man.

On the river there is the village of Krasnaya Polyana, the villages of Estosadok, Kazachiy Brod and others.
Near the village of Krasnaya Polyana on the river there is the Krasnopolyanskaya hydroelectric power station.

Interestingly, during big water How will this canal allocated for the river in Krymsk be able to pass all the water?

According to a number of environmental and other public organizations During construction, the river was seriously polluted, and vegetation on the surrounding slopes was massively destroyed.

The riverbed, sandwiched in concrete, is practically invisible from the train window.

The minister admitted the fact of significant pollution of the river natural resources RF Yu. Trutnev. It was noted that the construction does not take into account the turbulent nature of the river, as well as landslides and karst phenomena common in the Mzymta valley.

Environmentalists drew attention to the work being carried out without permits, as well as to the illegal removal of pebbles from the river bed by builders.

It was also mentioned that a number of hotels and guest houses built to receive vacationers in the upper reaches of the Mzymta are draining Wastewater into the river without treatment that flows to the resort town of Adler.
River in Adler.

Mzymta(Ubykh. Mdzymta - “mad”, Kabard. Cherk. Mdzymte) - a river flowing in the Krasnodar Territory, basin.

The Mzymta River originates on the southern slope of the Main Caucasus Range near Mount Loyub at an altitude of 2980 meters above sea level in the Mostovsky district Krasnodar region. It flows, forming an extensive fan, into the Black Sea in the Adler microdistrict of the city of Sochi, Krasnodar Territory. Mzymta is the longest river flowing into the Black Sea from the territory of Kuban and Russia.

The length of the Mzymta River is 89 kilometers, the drainage basin area is 885 km 2. The total fall of the river is 2980 meters, the slope is 33.5 m/km. The straight-line distance from the source to the mouth is 62 kilometers, the tortuosity coefficient is 1.4.

In the upper reaches of the Mzymta flows through high Mountain Lake Kardyvach, below which on the river there is a fifteen-meter Emerald Falls. In the middle reaches it cuts through the Aibga-Achishkho ridge, forming the Greek Gorge. Further, Mzymta crosses the Akhtsu-Katsirkha mountain range and forms its longest and deepest gorge, Akhtsu. About 19 kilometers before the mouth of the Mzymta it breaks through the Akhshtyr mountain range. Here it flows through the narrow gorge of the Akhshtyr Gate. In the lower reaches, the Mzymta valley expands, and the river takes on a flat character.

Settlements.

The Mzymta River flows through the territory belonging to the urban district of Sochi. On its banks are located settlements: the village of Estosadok, the village of Krasnaya Polyana, the villages of Chvizhepse, Kepsha, Monastery, Kazachiy Brod, Vysokoye, Chereshnya and the Adler microdistrict.

Driveways.

Adler has a railway station and an airport; the federal highway M-27 runs here along the Black Sea coast. The A-148 highway runs from Adler along Mzymta to Krasnaya Polyana. Further along the river there are also roads, but we must take into account that these are border areas where a special regime applies.

Main tributaries.

The largest tributaries of the Mzymta River - Pslukh, Achipse (Pudziko) with a tributary river Laura, Chvizhepse flow from the right bank.

All main tributaries of the Mzymta River:

Left-handed:

Rivers Tikhoh, Tikhaya Rechka, Sulimovskaya, Rzhanaya, Galion 1st, Galion 2nd, Galion 3rd, Pikhtinka, Kesha, Glubokiy Yar.

Right-handed:

– Crazy River;

– the Pslukh River flows 57 kilometers from the mouth of the Mzymta River, length 15 kilometers;

– the Achipse (Pudziko) river flows 50 kilometers from the mouth of the Mzymta River, length 16.5 kilometers;

– the Beshenka River flows 42 kilometers from the mouth of the Mzymta River, length 7.5 kilometers;

– the Monashka River flows 40 kilometers from the mouth of the Mzymta River, length 7 kilometers;

– the Chvezhipse River (Chvizhipse, Chuzhepse) flows 31 kilometers from the mouth of the Mzymta River, length 19 kilometers;

– the Kepsh River flows 27 kilometers from the mouth of the Mzymta River, length 9 kilometers.

Relief and soils.

The Mzymta River flows through mountainous terrain, starting on the southern slope of the Main Caucasus Range. The shores are composed of dark gray shales and very hard and dense limestones of Jurassic age.

The Mzymta basin is mainly dominated by brown mountain-forest soils. At the headwaters the soils are mountain meadow, and in the lower reaches there are brown forest soils in combination with yellow soils.

Vegetation.

Fir, fir-spruce and broad-leaved forests with a predominance of beech grow along the banks of the Mzymta River. The lower reaches are characterized by mixed broadleaf forests(beech, oak, hornbeam, chestnut, etc.) Mzymta flows through the forests of the Caucasus biosphere reserve and in areas belonging to the Sochi State Natural National Park.

Hydrological regime.

The Mzymta River has mixed nutrition. It is characterized by spring-summer floods and rain floods. The average annual water flow is 45.6 m³/s (the highest reaches 764 m³/s). In the spring, up to 42-50% of the annual flow of the Mzymta River flows. In summer, when glaciers melt, up to 30% of the annual flow passes through. Autumn accounts for up to 15-17% of the annual runoff. There are three glaciers in the Mzymta River basin. Their total area is 2.58 km2, which is 0.32% of the total area of the river basin.

The Mzymta River has quite significant fluctuations in levels. Annual amplitude reaches 2.32 meters. Closer to the mouth, changes in water level decrease slightly. In Adler their amplitude does not exceed 2.23 meters. During the spring melting of snow in the gorges, the water level rises to 5 meters.

The density of the river network in the Mzymta basin is 1.48 km/km 2 . average speed the river flow is 1.8 m/s, on the reaches - 0.4-1.2 m/s, the highest - 2-3 m/s. After the Moldovsky Bridge and to the mouth it reaches 2.6-3.5 m/s.

Almost along its entire length, the Mzymta has a rugged mountainous character. The bed of the Mzymta River is winding and weakly branched. The banks are formed by ledges of terraces up to 10 meters deep. In the upper reaches the river valley is V-shaped. The steep banks have a slope of 30-35°, in some places reaching 40-50°. In its lower reaches, the Mzymta River flows through the Adler Lowland, a well-developed wide valley characteristic of lowland rivers with slight slopes.

Along the entire length of the Mzymta River, the slopes of its banks are strongly dissected by deep gullies and tributary valleys. The bottom of the channel is composed of rocky rocks with boulders. In the middle and lower reaches, the bottom soil is pebble or pebble-boulder.

Water quality.

During floods, the Mzymta River transports a large number of suspended and transported sediments. The average annual runoff of suspended sediment is 488.2 thousand tons and transportable sediment is 141 thousand tons.

Ichthyofauna.

Mzymta mountain river, the most valuable species of fish that live and come into it to spawn are trout and brown trout.

Tourism and rest.

The Mzymta River was a popular place for rafting, sports rafting, slalom and kayaking. After the start of Olympic construction in 2010, lovers of this type of recreation received many inconveniences and obstacles.

There is a large trout farm on the Mzymta River. Local guides are happy to “put noodles in the ears of vacationers” by telling them that this the only place in Russia, where trout fry are raised. Fishing is organized for tourists at a special trout pond on the farm.

There are many mineral springs in the Mzymta River basin.

One of the attractions of the Mzymta valley is the karst caves. In the middle reaches on the right bank of the river, in the steep cliffs in the Akhshtyrskaya cave, a site of an ancient man was discovered. It is located opposite the village of Akhshtyr, 15 kilometers from Adler. The cave was formed under the influence of groundwater on the right steep bank of the Mzymta. The entrance to it is located at an altitude of about 120 meters above the river. The length of the cave is approximately 150 meters, the width in some places reaches 9 meters, and the height is 10 meters.

On the banks of the Mzymta is the village of Krasnaya Polyana - famous throughout Russia ski resort in Kuban.

Reference Information.

Name: Mzymta

Length: 89 km

Basin area: 885 km²

Pool: Black Sea

Water flow: 45.6 m³/sec. (27 km from the mouth)

Slope: 33.5‰

Tortuosity coefficient: 1.4

Source: Main Caucasus Range, Mount Loyub, Mostovsky district, Krasnodar region

Altitude: 2980 m

Coordinates:

Latitude: 43° 34′ 20.29″N

Longitude:40° 37′ 33.08″E

Ustye: Adler microdistrict, Sochi city, Krasnodar region

Height above sea level: 0 m

Coordinates:

Latitude: 43° 24′ 57″N

Longitude:39° 55′ 25″E

The Mzymta River flows in the Krasnodar Territory for 89 km. The name of the river comes from the name of the Medozyu tribe, which means “born in the snow.” It originates on the Main Caucasus Ridge and flows into the Black Sea. Water basin - 885 sq. km. It has large tributaries - Pudziko, Laura, Pslukh, Chvizhnpse.

The river is turbulent and is characterized by rain floods and spring and summer floods. The current speed is 2.6 - 3.5 m/sec. When the snow melts, the water level in the Mzymta rises to 5 m. In its basin there are three glaciers with an area of 2.58 sq. km. 2000 m from the source the river forms a mountain lake 0.5 km long. Then it flows among the low banks and, having broken through the gorge, falls down with a rapid waterfall from a height of 15 m. Throughout its entire length, the river changes the width of its channel from 8 to 100 m. In the lower reaches it flows calmly along a wide flat terrace. The banks here are unstable and need strengthening.

Fishing and relaxation on the Mzymta River

In the upper reaches of the river there are alpine meadows. Chestnuts and beeches grow on the banks of the Mzytma, some of them are up to 300 years old. The river flows through the territory of the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve, rich in various trees and shrubs. It is home to rare animals, birds, and insects. Including sika deer, badgers, bison, falcons, eagles. All kinds are grown on the river river trout. Fishing is organized for tourists at the trout pond.
Mzymta is attractive for rafting fans, and snowboarders love to ride on the mountain slopes. Karst caves are an attraction in the river valley, the largest being 150 m long and up to 9 m high. The Emerald Waterfall is also popular among tourists.

Hundreds of mountain rivers rush their waters from the southern wooded slopes of the Greater Caucasus. Their lower valleys are densely populated.

Rivers Black Sea coast sharply different from the rivers of the Azov-Kuban lowland, they are closer in appearance to the mountain rivers of the Kuban basin, but are formed in slightly DIFFERENT natural conditions;

Natural conditions of the Black Sea river basin. The river basins flowing into the Black Sea within the Krasnodar Territory are located on the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus. This slope is shorter and steeper than the northern one. Here, in front of the high watershed ridge, a series of mid-altitude ridges and low-mountain ridges stretch to the south, but, unlike the northern slope, there are no typical cuestas. The flat areas here are small, scattered irregularly and occupy the lower reaches of river valleys or are confined to Quaternary marine terraces.

The mountains reach their greatest heights in the Sochi region along its northeastern border. There are such mountains as Aibga with a height of 2450 m, Loyub with a height of 3000 m, South Pseashkho - 3251 m, etc. In the direction to the northwest, the mountains gradually decrease. In the Tuapse region, their peaks do not rise above 975 m (Mount Lysaya), and in the Novorossiysk region - 400 m. Further to the northwest, the foothills pass into the coastal plain of the Anapa region.

The highland part of the basin is composed mainly of limestones and sandstones of the Jurassic system. Medium-high mountains - limestones and flysch of the Cretaceous and Paleogene systems.

The lowlands consist of rocks Paleogene system.

In the area between the cities of Novorossiysk and Tuapse in the 1st swarm of folded ridges, mainly flysch (layered) strata of the Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene of carbonate rocks, shale marls, and thin-layered limestones take part.

East of Tuapse in the structure of the relief of the foothills main role Paleogene shale clays, sandstones and marls play. Sometimes they have a flysch character, that is, a layered structure. These rocks are relatively easily washed away by water and form here low hills and ridges of rather soft, smooth outlines. In higher mountain ranges, composed of Upper Cretaceous limestones, karst landforms develop in the form of sinkholes, wells, and caves. Karst caves on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus are numerous and some of them, for example Bolshaya Vorontsovskaya, are of considerable size.

The climate of the Black Sea coast is different in its western and eastern parts. Annual precipitation ranges from 500 mm in the area of Anapa to 3500 mm on Mount Achishkho in the Sochi region.

But on most of the coast from Arkhipo-Osipovka to Adler, precipitation falls from 800 to 1700 mm per year.

Cold season precipitation predominates. Average annual temperature on the Black Sea coast +13, +14° C. average temperature January +3, +5, July +22, +24°. The southeastern part of the coast from Tuapse to Adler is humid subtropics with a mild, warm and humid climate.

The soil cover in the area of the city of Anapa is expressed by chestnut soils. Further in the southeast, humus-carbonate soils stretch in a wide strip, covering foothills and low mountains, to the city of Tuapse. To the north, in the mid-mountain zone, they turn into mountain forest soils. In the area from Tuapse to Adler, the low-mountain part of the coast is occupied by mountain forest soils in combination with yellow soils. And higher into the mountains they first go through the lane. purulent carbonate soils, then into mountain forest soils and, finally, in the highlands - into mountain meadow soils.

The wealth of heat, moisture, fertile soils, especially in the subtropical part of the Black Sea coast, led to the development of lush vegetation here.

The territory from Adler and almost to Tuapse in the zone from sea level to mid-altitude mountains is covered with dense wet deciduous forests of the Colchis type with evergreen undergrowth. Higher in the mountains they are replaced by broad-leaved oak and beech forests, then by fir forests and in the highlands by lush, variegated subalpine meadows with thickets of Caucasian rhododendron.

The coastal area from Tuapse to Anapa is covered mainly by broad-leaved oak and beech forests. In separate islands along the very shore of the sea, between Tuapse and Gelendzhik there are forests of Pitsunda, Pallas and hook pine, and between Gelendzhik and Anapa there are juniper woodlands with other drought-resistant shrubs.

Hydrologically, the Black Sea coast of our region is very different from the Kuban basin and the Azov rivers. It is divided into numerous small drainage basins. From the city of Novorossiysk to the southeastern border of the region, there are up to 80 separate rivers flowing into the sea, and only three of them - Mzymta, Shakhe and Psou - have a length of more than 50 km and a drainage area of more than 400 km 2, all other rivers are much smaller. The most large rivers over 20 km long are (counting from southeast to northwest) Psou, Mzymta, Sochi, Shakhe, Psezuapse, Ashe, Tuapse, Nechepsuho, Shapsho, Dzhubga, Vulan, Pshada.

The rivers of the Black Sea region have large slopes and often look like mountain streams cascading down from the mountains.

Many rivers, especially in their upper reaches, have canyon-like valleys. Rivers located southeast of the river. Shapsho, are characterized by the presence of high river terraces in the lower reaches.

Water mode Black Sea rivers are unique. Rivers located west of the river. Nebug are characterized by high floods from rain and melting snow in the cold part of the year and persistent low levels from May to October. (Occasionally, summer low water is interrupted by floods caused by heavy rains. Then the rivers can turn into powerful turbulent streams.

The snow cover in the basins of these rivers is unstable, and when it melts, no pronounced flood is observed;

Rivers located east of the river. Nebug, have larger drainage basins with high altitudes locality.

the amount of precipitation and the density of the river network here is almost twice as much.

The snow cover is also unstable. Snow is piling up

only in parts of the basins with elevations above 1000 m. Floods are typical for these rivers, which often occur in the cold season. They are caused by prolonged autumn rains and melting snow in winter. Floods also occur in summer, but less frequently. The low water does not last long and is also sometimes interrupted by flash floods.

At the same time, floods, thanks to heavy rainfall and large slopes of the terrain, are characterized by short duration and sharp rise and fall in level. Turning into turbulent streams, rivers sometimes bring destruction to populated areas. Most rivers in the Black Sea region are characterized by the absence of freeze-up.

General mineralization the water of these rivers ranges from 50 mg/l (Mzymta river in the upper reaches) to 940 mg/l (Gostagai river) and higher. But most rivers are still characterized by low and medium (not higher than 500 mg/l) mineralization.

Observed general pattern increasing the mineralization of river waters of the Black Sea coast from the source to the mouth of these rivers, as well as in the direction from southeast to northwest along the coast.

The predominant ions by weight in river waters here are hydrocarbonate, calcium and sulfate.

Using the classification of O. A. Alekin, the waters of all Black Sea rivers should be classified as the hydrocarbonate class of the calcium group - type two. The content of sulfate ions rarely exceeds 10% mEq. There are few chlorine ions. The hardness of river waters can vary from 0.5 to 11.2 mEq (Gostagai River). During low water and inter-flood periods, water hardness is greatest. At this time, rivers differ from the river to moderately hard waters. Psou to r. Tuapse. Rivers lying west of the river. Tuapse, have higher water hardness (6-9 mEq).

Psou River

On the slopes of a high mountain range, west of Mount Agepsta at an altitude of 2730 m above sea level, the river originates. Psou. Half of its drainage basin is located on forested mountains above 1000 m. The total drainage area; ; rivers 431 km 2. After traveling 53 km, Psou flows into the Black Sea 8 km southeast of the resort of Adler. In its lower course the river is the border between Krasnodar;; region and the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Shsou is a typical mountain river with fast current, clean water and a picturesque valley?) For the first 28 kilometers it flows in a narrow valley with steep slopes, up to 100 m high in places. Below the confluence of the Arkva Psou tributary into it, it turns sharply to the southwest and, breaking through the ridge formed by the spurs of the Akhkhach and Dzykhra mountains, it flows to the sea along a wide valley.In the lower reaches the river has a wide pebble floodplain and is divided into branches.

The largest tributaries of the Psou are pp. Phista and Besh. Both flow into it from the left.

The river is fed in the spring by melting high-mountain snows, in the summer by rainfall, and in the fall and early winter it is fed by prolonged rains. Underground feeding plays a certain role during the low-water period.

The water regime of the river is flood.; The average annual flow of Psou (near the village of Leselidze) is about 19 m 3 /s. Over the course of a year, the river carries out c. The Black Sea has more than 650 million m3 of water of medium salinity.

The following settlements are located in the Psou Valley: Aibga, Ermolovka, Nizhneshilovskoye, Veseloye.

Mzymta River

This is the largest and most high-water river of the Black Sea coast within the Krasnodar Territory. The Mzymta originates on the southern slope of the Main Caucasus Range in the area of Mount Loyub, at an altitude of 2980 m.

Having traveled 89 km among the mountains and collected water from an area of 885 km 2, the Mzymta flows into the Black Sea near Adler.

Translated from Circassian, Mzymta means “mad”, and it fully justifies its name, since it is a turbulent mountain river, quickly and noisily carrying its foaming waters between steep rocky shores. At the very source, the Mzymta has the appearance of a mountain stream falling from a steep slope in cascades clean and clear cold water. Two kilometers from the source, the river flows into the picturesque alpine lake Kardyvach, about 0.5 km long. It is located at an altitude of 1850 m, in a deep basin and surrounded by high mountains. The nature here is beautiful: the colorful green carpets of the Alpine meadows, dark greens coniferous forests on the slopes of the mountains, sparkling snowfields, near Lake Kardyvach Mzymta flows out as a calm river with a clear cold water and flows at first, meandering in the low meadow banks) Then the river valley narrows. Mzymta, raging, breaks through a narrow crevice and rapidly falls down like a waterfall with a mighty roar, scattering in cascades of splashes. This waterfall, called Emerald, has a fall height of about 15 m.

poses an insurmountable obstacle even for fast-moving trout, and they are not found above the waterfall, while there are quite a lot of them below.

Trout is silvery, with black and red specks, a cautious and timid fish. Its meat is tender and tasty. In addition to trout, the Mzymta is home to barbel, black belly, and in the lower reaches, chub and roach. In autumn, Black Sea salmon come into the river to spawn - the fish is quite large, reaching up to 30 kg in weight.

The forests and meadows of the Mzymta basin are inhabited by numerous animals that find abundant food in the form of juicy herbs, fruits, berries, acorns, chestnuts and nuts. There are a lot of Caucasian bears here, wild boars, badgers, foxes, wild cats. There are lynx, wolves, valuable fur-bearing animal- marten, hares, Altai squirrel, otters and minks. The pride of the local forests is the Caucasian Noble deer and wild goat - roe deer. Beautiful and agile chamois graze in the subalpine meadows, mountain goats - Severtsov's aurochs, mountain turkeys and Caucasian grouse live.

The forests are also home to a lot of birds.

(Many tributaries flow into the Mzymta, the largest of which are Pslukh, Pudziko, Chvizhepse. There are a number of waterfalls on the tributaries of the Mzymta, fast mountain rivers.!

Below the confluence of the Mzymta river. Pudziko, the river valley changes dramatically: the channel is divided into branches, the floodplain expands to 0.6 km, and the river slope decreases. 46-48 km from the source on the right bank of the Mzymta in a picturesque valley lies the working village of Krasnaya Polyana at an altitude of about 600 m above sea level. In Krasnaya Polyana there is a department of the southern department of the Caucasian state reserve, woodworking and sawmills. Near the village, slightly downstream of the Mzymta, there is an original design diversion hydroelectric power station with a 30-meter equalization tower. The power of the hydroelectric power station is 29,000 kW.

Even further downstream, the Mzymta valley narrows again, as the river, breaking through the Aibga Achishkho ridge here, forms the Grechesky gorge. Its banks are composed of dark gray shales of Jurassic age. Falling steeply, with a slope of 0.1, the river, compressed by rocks, has a rapid rapids flow. During floods, in the narrowest part of the gorge, the water horizon can rise higher than usual, up to 5 meters or more.

Having escaped from the Greek Gorge, the river expands its valley, and the floodplain here has a width of 100 to 500 m. However, after about 15 km, the river valley sharply narrows again. Here the Mzymta cuts through the Akhtsu-Katsirkha mountain range and forms its deepest and longest gorge, Akhtsu, reminiscent in beauty of the famous Daryal gorge. The width of the gorge along the bottom in some places is only 3-10 m; its slopes are made of very hard and dense limestone of Jurassic age. Not reaching 19 km from the sea, Mzymta crosses the Akhshtyr mountain range. The river flows through a narrow gorge called the Akhshtyr Gate. Behind this gorge the lower course of the river begins. Its valley expands again, and the river takes on a flat character. Its riverbed slope drops to 0.004. The last 6 km of the Mzymta flows along a wide flat terrace made up of river sediments. The river splits into branches and winds along the floodplain. The banks here are very unstable, easily washed away during floods and need strengthening.

One of the attractions of the Mzymta valley is the karst caves. The most famous is the Akhshtyrskaya cave, located opposite the village of Akhshtyr, 15 km from Adler. It was formed under the influence of groundwater on the right steep, rocky bank of the Mzymta. The entrance to it is located at an altitude of about 120 m above the river level. The length of the cave is about 150 m, the width is up to 9 m and the height in some places reaches 10 m.

During excavations in the cave, archaeological scientists discovered traces of human settlement 60-70 thousand years ago. Evidence of this are such finds as stone axes, arrow and spear tips, fragments of pottery, animal and fish bones.

This cave is widely known. Tourist centers and excursion bureaus in Adler, Sochi, and Gagra include it in their excursion routes.

A trout farm has been built and operates 13 km from the mouth of the Mzymta, where trout are bred and supplied delicious fish Sochi resort.

[Feeds r. Mzymtu small glaciers, firn snow fields of the Agepsta, Pseashkho, Chugusha ridges, prolonged autumn rains, summer showers. In addition, the river basin in the upper reaches is very rich in springs and springs, the recharging value of which is especially noticeable during the low-water period.

The water regime of the Mzymta is flood. At the same time, spring, summer and autumn floods are observed." The highest costs and highest levels usually occur in April - May. Low horizons and expenses are observed in January - February and July - August. The average annual water flow near the village of Kepsha is about 44 m 3 /s, and the maximum is 764 m 3 /s.

Over the course of a year, the river carries over 1.4 billion m3 of water and a large amount of solid sediment into the Black Sea.

Mineralization of river water Mzymta ranges from low in the upper reaches (50 mg/l) to medium in the middle and lower reaches (200 mg/l).

Hydrocarbonate, calcium and sulfate ions predominate in water by weight. The river basin is rich in mineral springs. For example, in Engelmanova Polyana, in the upper reaches of the river, there are more than 120 outlets mineral water. The largest of these sources, with a flow rate of over 20 thousand liters per day, is similar in composition to the Kislovodsk Narzan. The waters in the vicinity of the village of Krasnaya Polyana contain boron. There are a number of mineral springs in the valleys of Pslukh, Chvizhepse and others. In terms of mineralization and chemical composition, some of them are of the Borjomi and Essentuki type, others are calcium carbonate and alkaline, saturated with carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, the riches of the mineral waters of the Mzymta basin are still poorly used in balneological terms.

There are a number of settlements in the river valley: EstoSadok, Krasnaya Polyana, Chvizhepse, Monastery, Moldovka and the Adler resort.

Khosta River

This is a small, shallow river that deserves description because of the interesting features of its basin. Khosta is formed from the confluence of two small mountain rivers - Western Khosta and Eastern Khosta, originating on the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus.

The length of Khosta itself is only 4.5 km, but if we count its length together with Eastern Khosta, then their total length is about 21 km, and the fall is 933 m. The length of Western Khosta is 14 km. Khosta flows into the Black Sea near Cape Vidny in the Khosta region.

The area of the entire Khosta drainage basin is about 96 km 2 . Its relief is mountainous, but the heights of the area nowhere reach 1000 m, and more than 30% of the basin lies no higher than 250 m above sea level. Most of the basin is covered with Colchis-type forests. A unique natural object in the river basin is the Khosta yew box grove. It is located 2 km from the resort

Khosta district and 20 km from the Central district of Sochi on the southeastern slope of Mount Bolshoy Akhun and covers an area of 300 hectares. The grove is a small separate branch of the Caucasian State Reserve.

Favorable climatic conditions this corner of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus: abundance solar heat, significant amounts of precipitation, high humidity and mild winters have contributed to the preservation of such relict trees as yew and boxwood here. In addition to them, more than 60 species of woody and shrub species and including beech, cherry laurel, hornbeam, butcher's broom, oak, cherry, and vines. The forests of the Khosta basin and even the deep parts of the grove are inhabited by bears, roe deer, wild cats, jackals, wild boars, badgers, squirrels, martens, dormouse, and otters near the river. Birds in the Khosta basin include blackbirds, woodpeckers, finches, tits, jays, hawks, kites, etc.

Here you can occasionally meet a poisonous snake, a viper, more often harmless snakes, grass snakes and spindles.

For a small part of its length, the Khosta flows in a steep-walled valley overgrown with forest. It is very picturesque. One of most beautiful places valley is the White Rocks area on the territory of the yew box grove. Coming out of the twilight of the grove onto the observation deck above the cliff, you will see a lovely panorama of the river valley immersed in green forests. Hosts. To the north, the jagged spurs of the Greater Caucasus loom in the misty haze. On the opposite bank of the river there is a white hundred-meter cliff of light gray limestone, and at the foot of the cliff the swift Khosta rumbles dully.

D The river is fed mainly by atmospheric precipitation, partly groundwater. The water regime of the Khosta is flood, like all Black Sea rivers. During periods of prolonged or heavy rains, as well as during intense snow melting on the slopes of the surrounding mountains, the river, usually shallow at low water, turns into a high-water raging stream.

The average annual water flow near the village of Khosta is 5 m 3 /s. The maximum flow rate reaches 436 m3/s, and the minimum drops to 0.98 m3/s.

“The mineralization of the water in the river is average. The Khosta does not abound in fish, but fast trout, barbel, chub, and black belly are found here. Such valuable fish as salmon enter the river from the sea during the spawning period.

Sochi River

The Sochi sistok is located on the southern slope of the Main Caucasus Range near Mount Chura at an altitude of 18.3 m. The river flows into the Black Sea in the central part of Sochi) near the Caucasian Riviera sanatorium. /The length of the river is 45 km. Sochi collects water from an area of 296 km2, / Almost half of the basin lies at an altitude of more than 1000 m. Most of the basin is covered with Colchis-type forests. In the first ten kilometers of its course, the river falls steeply from the mountains, having a bed slope of 0.13, and flows rapidly in a narrow valley with steep, high rocky banks. Below the confluence of its tributary Ats into Sochi, the river valley widens noticeably, and below the confluence of the river. Pebble islands appear in the Azhek riverbed.

Approximately 28 km from the source of the river. Sochi bursts out of a mountain valley into the foothills. The slopes of the channel here are already significantly less - 0.008-0.005, so the river flows more calmly along the pebble channel and has formed a wide floodplain.

On the river Sochi and its right tributary of the river. Orekhovka has beautiful waterfalls. At the very mouth of the river. In Orekhovka, its riverbed ends abruptly, and the stream of water falls almost vertically from. 35 meters high, raising cascades of spray. The waterfall looks especially impressive during floods.

In the lower reaches the river flows through central District city of Sochi. Here its banks are encased in concrete, and a beautiful embankment stretches on both sides. There are bridges across the river.

(The Sochi River is fed by melting snow, rainfall and groundwater. Its water regime is flood. Period spring flood- 40-50 days. Winter floods are clearly expressed, resulting from the melting of unstable snow cover V pool. Spills from rain often occur in the summer. Water horizons and river flows. Sochi fluctuates significantly throughout the year. Thus, water flow rates in the lower reaches can vary from 2.3 to 587 m 3 /s. The average annual river flow here is 17 m 3 /s. Over the course of a year, it carries about 600 million m3 of water and a significant amount of sediment into the Black Sea.

Mineralization of river water Sochi does not exceed average (100-250 mg/l), the water is soft. The predominant ions (by weight) are calcium bicarbonate and sulfate.

River valley Sochi in the middle and lower reaches is densely populated; here, in addition to the world famous resort city of Sochi, there are also the settlements of Azhek,

Plastunka, Navaginskoe. River valley Sochi is one of the objects of tourist trips. Here you can admire the waterfalls on the river. Sochi and Orekhovka, visit a karst cave on the left bank of the river. Ac. This cave named after N.I. Sokolov is located approximately 1.5 km from the confluence of this river with the river. Sochi. The cave is very interesting; an underground river with waterfalls flows through it.

Traveling along the river valley. Sochi, you can also get acquainted with the rich flora and fauna of this fertile corner of our Motherland.

Shahe River

The river is born. Shahe near Mount Chura at an altitude of 1718 m above sea level in the zone of alpine meadows. This is the second longest and most abundant river on the Black Sea coast within our region.

Flowing through the Lazarevsky district of the city of Sochi, it collects water from a basin with an area of 562 km 2 and flows into the Black Sea near the village of Golovinka, having traveled a distance of 60 km. Almost the entire river basin is mountainous and covered with forest, while almost two-thirds of it lies above 1000 m. In its upper course, the Shah for 14 km has a very steep slope - from 0.14 to 0.04 and rolls foamy water with a roar clear waters along a narrow steep-walled rocky valley. Here many small mountain streams flow into it. In the middle reaches of the Shah, in the segment from the mouth of its tributary Boyuk to the confluence of the river. Tukh, the slopes are already smaller - from 0.03 to 0.01, and it flows more calmly in an expanded valley, which has a pebble floodplain up to 0.6 km wide in places. In the lower reaches, the river valley expands even more.

A number of tributaries flow into Shah, the largest of which are Bzych (left) 25 km long, Kichmay (right) 12 km long and Azhu 11 km long.

They feed the river. Shah precipitation in the form of rain and snow and The groundwater. Springs and groundwater give a certain stability to the river flow during low-water periods. Glacial and eternal snow feeding do not take place here, since the watershed line of the river basin. Shahe does not reach the boundaries of eternal snow.

“The water regime of the Shakhe River is flood and unstable. Floods are caused by prolonged or heavy rains and the melting of seasonal snow in the high-mountain zone of the basin. The latter is observed in November - December and from March to June.

High flood peaks are possible almost SCH. ,.joe. time of year, with the exception of January and February, when the snow cover is most stable. During river floods Shahe rises violently and rushes menacingly powerful flow. In this case, water flow rates at Solokhaul can vary from 6.5 m 3 /s (during low water) to 421 m 3 /s (during high water). The average annual flow of the river here is about 28 m 3 /s. The river carries almost 1 billion m 3 of water and hundreds of thousands of tons of sediment into the Black Sea per year. General mineralization of the river water. Shahe from low to medium: 100-250 mg/l. The water is soft, and it is dominated (by weight) by bicarbonate, calcium and sulfate ions. On the river The following settlements are located in Shah: Babukaul.Shzych, Bolshoi Kichmay, Golovinka, Solokhaul.

Tuapse River

[The origins of the river Tuapse is located on the southern slope of the Main Caucasus Range at an altitude of 350 m above sea level, 2.5 km southeast of the Goytkh Pass. The length of the river is 35 km. It flows in the very lower reaches through the city of Tuapse and flows here into the Black Sea. The river's drainage basin, with an area of 352 km2, is located in a zone of low mountains, covered mainly by deciduous forests consisting of oak, hornbeam, beech, alder, ash, and maple. Among these: forests there are often wild fruit trees: pears, apples, cherries, Walnut, chestnuts, etc. I the undergrowth grows such shrubs as rose hips, buckthorn, hawthorn, barberry, and cherry laurel. The forests of the river basin are inhabited by wild pigs, deer, roe deer, bears, wolves, jackals, foxes, hares, badgers, squirrels, martens, raccoon dogs, and mink along the river banks.

The river valley is quite narrow and steep-walled; in the upper reaches, below, especially in the pre-estuary part, it is greatly smoothed and expanded, acquiring a significant pebble floodplain.

The river is fed by atmospheric osgors v. partly groundwater. Its water regime is flood. The river is shallow, and dries up greatly in summer. Water levels and flow rates can increase significantly during the period of spring snowmelt and heavy rains. The average annual river flow near the city of Tuapse is about 14 m 3 /s Over the course of a year, the river carries 0.5 billion m3 of water and more than 0.2 million suspended substances into the Black Sea.The water of the Tuapse River is of average sneralization 200-350 mg/l, soft.

(The predominant dissolved components , The ions are hydrocarbonate, calcium and sul (at. N..

rivers* there are settlements: Indyuk, Krivenkovckos and the industrial port city of Tuapse. A city of glorious revolutionary, military and labor traditions.

Pshada River

This small mountain river originates on the slopes of the Greater Caucasus near Mount Pshada at an altitude of 448 m above the sea. The length of the river is 35 km. In terms of basin area, equal to 358 km 2, the Pshada ranks fourth among the Black Sea rivers of the Krasnodar Territory. In its upper reaches, the Pshada is a real mountain river, flowing in a gloomy, wild gorge with steep rocky slopes covered with a dark forest. The gorge is winding and narrow. The river bed here is replete with boulders, stone “wa. [us], cluttered with windbreaks. There are numerous waterfalls. Total on the river Do you have Pshad and its tributaries? more than a dozen waterfalls. The most picturesque and highest is the Bolshoi Pshadsky (or Olyapkin) waterfall. From a stone ledge 20 m wide, sparkling jets of water "fall" from a height of 9 meters into a fairly large reservoir. During the low-water period, the Pshada River is low-flowing and the waterfall has a very peaceful appearance. However, during floods after heavy rains, it presents an impressive spectacle when ,i,a with a frantic roar the music-yellow wall of water collapses down in foam and splashes.

In the middle reaches, the Pshada valley expands and becomes flatter. In the very lower reaches the valley flattens even more, but the slope of the riverbed remains relatively greater! -0.01.

Tsshada flows into the Black Sea almost in the middle between Areshpo-Osipovka and Dzhanhot.

The river's food source is mainly precipitation and partly groundwater. Its water regime is characterized by very high, sharp rises in water levels during floods and rapid declines. This indicates a close connection between floods and surface runoff of precipitation. Floods on Pshad are observed in all seasons of the year, but are most frequent from November to March. The average annual flow rate is 0.65 m 3 /s (near the village of Beregovoy).

The water in the river has average mineralization - no more than 500 mg/l. The predominant ions in water are bicarbonate, calcium and sulfate.

In the Pshada valley there are settlements: Pshada, Beregovoye, etc. In the area of the village of Pshada you can see ancient burials - dolmens.

The new road "Adler - Alpika-Service" - a combined road and railway road Adler - Krasnaya Polyana, actually along the bed of the Mzymta River, is an absolutely dead-end, like the old Sochi-Krasnaya Polyana road, which runs a little further and higher from the Mzymta River.