Lža

(also Ludza and L’zha), a river in the Latvian SSR and Pskov Oblast of the RSFSR. It is a right-bank tributary of the Utroia River (in the Velikaia basin). Length, 156 km; basin area, 1,570 sq km. It rises from Lake Lielas-Ludsa. In its upper course the Lža is straightened by a canal. The river is fed chiefly by snow. The average discharge 9 km from the mouth is about 10.5 cu m per sec. The Lža is icebound for three to four months a year (December to March).