Ob reservoir near Novosibirsk

A very remarkable water body is located slightly south of the city of Novosibirsk. This is an artificial reservoir. It was formed in the late fifties of the last century, as a result of the construction of the dam of Obskaya HPP. But today it is difficult to imagine this region of Western Siberia without the Ob Sea becoming habitual for everyone, despite the fact that the need for its creation is still being questioned by many authoritative experts.

The Ob reservoir

Its length along the current of the Ob River from south to north exceeds 220 kilometers. In its southern end, it reaches the city of Kamen-na-Obi. The Ob reservoir in its course varies considerably in width, from 2 to 23 kilometers. Its maximum depth in the channel part of the channel reaches 25 meters. The Ob reservoir is navigable, the navigation period is limited to the warm season of the year. In winter it freezes, the thickness of ice is sufficient to create ice crossings of vehicles. The Ob reservoir has a significant hydropower potential. Its volume ensures the stable functioning of the Novosibirsk HPP and the uninterrupted supply of water resources to the millions of Novosibirsk with the nearest and remote neighborhoods. But its creation caused a significant damage to the ecology and culture of the region, which led to a memorable discussion in the scientific and social circles at the end of the last century about the feasibility of erecting dams on flat rivers. Such hydraulic structures irreparably disrupt the ecological balance of nature and destroy the traditional way of life of many people who settled along river banks since ancient times. So the Ob reservoir flooded significant areas of floodplain farmland, forever buried on its day the historical part of the ancient Siberian town of Berdsk and many coastal villages where people lived for centuries.

Today

The Ob Sea is actively used for the benefit of the inhabitants of the coastal regions. The natural place of suburban rest of the inhabitants of Novosibirsk is the Ob reservoir. Recreation bases on its coast are created and successfully operated for a very long period of time. But many prefer to stop in tents and make long trips along the water on various light-engine and sailing ships. On the Ob Sea you can find many interesting things. Very popular with tourists are its islands such as Elban, Kamenny, Khokhlov Borok, Khrenovy, Shlyapovsky, Sharapsky and Seven-Zazed.

Fishing on the Ob reservoir has its own peculiarities, and they should be taken into account. Here, not bad catching bream, pike perch, burbot, crucian carp, perch, pike and grayling. You can also find valuable fish such as sterlet, sturgeon, whitefish and peled. But a certain part of fish resources is infected with helminthic elements, in other words - worms. And this fact should be taken into account to avoid trouble. This state of affairs is one of the consequences of the violation of the ecological balance and flooding of coastal areas.