Chusovaia

(upper course, Poludennaia Chusovaia), a river in Sverdlovsk and Perm’ oblasts of the RSFSR (with its source in Cheliabinsk Oblast); a left tributary of the Kama. The Chusovaia is 592 km long and drains an area of 23,000 sq km. It originates in the Central Urals. The upper course flows through a broad valley. The middle course flows through a narrow canyon-like valley or a broader valley with gentle slopes. In its lower reaches, the Chusovaia is a typical flatland river. It empties into Chusovaia Bay of the Kama Reservoir. The river is fed by mixed sources, with snow predominating. High water lasts from mid-April to mid-June. The mean flow rate is 222 cu m per sec. The greatest flow rate is 4,570 cu m per sec, and the lowest, 8.4 cu m per sec. Six or seven flash floods occur each summer. The Chusovaia freezes between late October and early December and opens up in April or early May. Ice jams, which raise the water level as much as 2.8 m, are typical in the lower course.

The principal tributaries are the Mezhevaia Utka, Serebrian-ka, Koiva, and Us’va, on the right, and the Revda and Lys’va, on the left. The Chusovaia is used extensively for water supply: water from the Volchikhinskoe Reservoir (37 sq km) is transported to the Verkhnii Iset’ Reservoir, which supplies the Sverdlovsk area. There are 15 smaller reservoirs on the tributaries of the Chusovaia. Timber can be floated on the river for about 500 km. The Chusovaia is navigable from the city of Chusovoi. The cities of Pervoural’sk and Chusovoi are located on the river, which is a popular tourist area.