Chogray Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Chogray Reservoir is an artificial reservoir on the East Manych River
on the border of Stavropol Krai
and Kalmykia
in southern Russia.
The reservoir, 49 km long, was constructed in 1969-1973, primarily to satisfy the demands of local irrigated farming.
Its area is 185 square km, volume 0.7 cubic km. Besides capturing water naturally brought by the tributaries of the East Manych River, the reservoir receives water from the Terek River and the Kuma River
over the Kuma-Manych Canal
, which was completed a few years before the reservoir.
Later on, another irrigation canal - Chernyye Zemli Main Canal (Черноземельский магистральный канал, Chernozemelsky magistralny kanal) was built, taking water from Chogray Reservoir further east and north, into Kalmykia.
In 2008, after almost 40 years of operation, the reservoir was reported as in dire need of maintenance, as were many other reservoirs of its age in the area. Under certain conditions the waters are polluted by blooms of toxic cyanobacteria (blue-gree algae).
As East Manych (and, thus, Chogray Reservoir) is not connected in a navigable way with any other body of water (although that may change if the Eurasia Canal
is constructed), delivering a boat, or any other large floating installation to the Chogray Reservoir would be a non-trivial task. Such an operation was undertaken in 1976, when two large floating pumping units, weighing 320 and 280 metric tons, respectively, had to be delivered to the reservoir for use by the local irrigators. They were taken by boat from the Don
up the West Manych River waterway
to Lake Manych-Gudilo
- the end of the existing navigable waterway, - from where they were transported 85 km overland using special heavy trailers. Thirty years later, that story was still remembered locally.
Manych River
Manych is a river in the western and central part of the Kuma-Manych Depression in southern Russia.Tributary to the river Don. The river is 219 km long; its source is Lake Manych-Gudilo in the south-westerm part of the Russian republic of Kalmykia...
on the border of Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: -Geography:Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major...
and Kalmykia
Kalmykia
The Republic of Kalmykia is a federal subject of Russia . Population: It is the only Buddhist region in Europe. It has also become well-known as an international chess mecca because its former President, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, is the head of the International Chess Federation .-Geography:*Area:...
in southern Russia.
The reservoir, 49 km long, was constructed in 1969-1973, primarily to satisfy the demands of local irrigated farming.
Its area is 185 square km, volume 0.7 cubic km. Besides capturing water naturally brought by the tributaries of the East Manych River, the reservoir receives water from the Terek River and the Kuma River
Kuma River (Russia)
The Kuma is an long river in southern Russia. Its drainage basin is 33 500 square km. Its source is in the Greater Caucasus, in the republic Karachay-Cherkessia, west of Kislovodsk...
over the Kuma-Manych Canal
Kuma-Manych Canal
The Kuma–Manych Canal is an irrigation canal in Russia's Stavropol Krai. The canal, completed in 1965, runs across the Kuma–Manych Depression, connecting the Kuma River, which flows into the Caspian Sea, with the East Manych River, which also flows toward the Caspian, but dries out long before...
, which was completed a few years before the reservoir.
Later on, another irrigation canal - Chernyye Zemli Main Canal (Черноземельский магистральный канал, Chernozemelsky magistralny kanal) was built, taking water from Chogray Reservoir further east and north, into Kalmykia.
In 2008, after almost 40 years of operation, the reservoir was reported as in dire need of maintenance, as were many other reservoirs of its age in the area. Under certain conditions the waters are polluted by blooms of toxic cyanobacteria (blue-gree algae).
As East Manych (and, thus, Chogray Reservoir) is not connected in a navigable way with any other body of water (although that may change if the Eurasia Canal
Eurasia Canal
The Eurasia Canal is a proposed 700-kilometre long canal connecting the Caspian Sea to the lower Black Sea along the Kuma-Manych Depression, which is often considered the border between Europe and Asia...
is constructed), delivering a boat, or any other large floating installation to the Chogray Reservoir would be a non-trivial task. Such an operation was undertaken in 1976, when two large floating pumping units, weighing 320 and 280 metric tons, respectively, had to be delivered to the reservoir for use by the local irrigators. They were taken by boat from the Don
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
up the West Manych River waterway
Manych River
Manych is a river in the western and central part of the Kuma-Manych Depression in southern Russia.Tributary to the river Don. The river is 219 km long; its source is Lake Manych-Gudilo in the south-westerm part of the Russian republic of Kalmykia...
to Lake Manych-Gudilo
Lake Manych-Gudilo
Lake Manych-Gudilo is a large saltwater reservoir lake in Kalmykia, Russia. Part of the lake lies also in Rostov Oblast and Stavropol Krai. It has an area of about 344 km² and average depth of only about 0.6 m....
- the end of the existing navigable waterway, - from where they were transported 85 km overland using special heavy trailers. Thirty years later, that story was still remembered locally.