Krasnoiarsk Reservoir
Krasnoiarsk Reservoir
formed by the dam of the Krasnoiarsk Hydroelectric Power Plant on the Enisei River above the city of Krasnoiarsk in Krasnoiarsk Krai, RSFSR. Filled in 1967–70. Area, 2,000 sq km; volume, 73.3 cu km; length, 388 km; maximum width, 15 km. Average depth, 36.6 m; maximum depth (at the dam) 105 m. The level of the reservoir fluctuates by as much as 18m. The flow is regulated seasonally.
The lower part of the reservoir near the dam resembles a broad river in a deep valley. The middle part is about 300 km long and is wider than the lower part (up to 10 km in places). The upper part is a relatively shallow stretch of water up to 15 km wide. Large inlets have formed in the valleys of the Enisei’s tributaries (the Derbina, Sisim, Syda, and Tuba rivers).
Krasnoiarsk Reservoir was built in order to develop the power industry and water transportation. By raising the water level, making passages, dredging, and building locks, a deep-water transportation route was created between Minusinsk and the mouth of the Enisei. Fishing is important (pike, whitefish, id, and bream, for example). The city of Divnogorsk is located near the dam, and the cities of Abakan and Minusinsk and the village of Ust’-Abakan are located in the zone where the tail waters taper out.