Kuloy-Pinega Canal
Encyclopedia
Kuloy-Pinega Canal is a canal
connecting the Kuloy River
and the Pinega River
in Northern Russia at their closest points. The length of the canal is 8 kilometres (5 mi). The canal was constructed in 1928.
The canal is located close to the settlement of Pinega
in Pinezhsky District
, Arkhangelsk Oblast
, Russia
.
The Pinega flows in the north-western direction, and close to the settlement of Pinega sharply turns south-west. Formerly, the Kuloy and the Pinega were one waterway flowing to the Mezen Bay
of the White Sea
; then the Pinega turned to the Northern Dvina. During a certain period, there was a bifurcation
between the Kuloy and the Pinega, when the discharge of the Pinega partially was flowing to the Northern Dvina and partially it was flowing to the Kuloy. Currently, the bifurcation does not exist, and the Pinega is fully discharged into the Northern Dvina. As a trace of the former bifurcation, there is a depression between the Pinega and the Kuloy. The canal has been built in this depression. On the Kuloy side, the canal separates the Sotka River (upstream canal) and the Kuloy (downstream).
The project of the canal construction between the Kuloy and the Mezen was first discussed in 1840. The idea behind was that the timber in the Sotka, the Kuloy, and other rivers in the Kuloy basin could be only rafted into the Mezen Bay, located remotely, or transported by land. It would be more convenient to channel the timber into the Pinega and downstream to the Northern Dvina. In 1844, the Arkhangelsk State Good Chamber decided that the project is unprofitable. In 1925, new reserch has been performed, cause by the growth of timber cutting in the Kuloy River basin. The construction of the canal took two years, from 1926 to 1928. There was one lock
on the canal 160 metres (524.9 ft) long. The minimum width of the canal is 20 metres (65.6 ft).
The canal is currently in use, though it is pretty much neglected, the lock is broken, and the canal is too shallow for large boats. In summer, it sometimes almost dries out.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
connecting the Kuloy River
Kuloy River (White Sea)
The Kuloy is a river in Pinezhsky and Mezensky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. Its mouth is located in the Mezen Bay of the White Sea. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributaries of the Kuloy are the Kyolda , the Nemnyuga , and the Soyana...
and the Pinega River
Pinega River
The Pinega is a river in Verkhnetoyemsky, Pinezhsky, and Kholmogorsky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a right tributary of the Northern Dvina River. It is long, and the area of its basin...
in Northern Russia at their closest points. The length of the canal is 8 kilometres (5 mi). The canal was constructed in 1928.
The canal is located close to the settlement of Pinega
Pinega
Pinega is a settlement, formerly a town, in Pinezhsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Pinega River . It serves as the administrative center of Pinezhsky Selsoviet, one of the seventeen selsoviets into which the district is administratively divided...
in Pinezhsky District
Pinezhsky District
Pinezhsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Pinezhsky Municipal District...
, Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea....
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
The Pinega flows in the north-western direction, and close to the settlement of Pinega sharply turns south-west. Formerly, the Kuloy and the Pinega were one waterway flowing to the Mezen Bay
Mezen Bay
The Mezen Bay is located in Arkhangelsk Oblast and Nenets Autonomous Okrug in Northwestern Russia. It is one of four large bays and gulfs of the White Sea, the others being the Dvina Bay, the Onega Bay, and the Kandalaksha Gulf. The Mezen Bay is the easternmost of these, as it lies to the south of...
of the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
; then the Pinega turned to the Northern Dvina. During a certain period, there was a bifurcation
River bifurcation
River bifurcation occurs when a river flowing in a single stream separates into two or more separate streams which continue downstream. Some rivers form complex networks of distributaries, especially in their deltas...
between the Kuloy and the Pinega, when the discharge of the Pinega partially was flowing to the Northern Dvina and partially it was flowing to the Kuloy. Currently, the bifurcation does not exist, and the Pinega is fully discharged into the Northern Dvina. As a trace of the former bifurcation, there is a depression between the Pinega and the Kuloy. The canal has been built in this depression. On the Kuloy side, the canal separates the Sotka River (upstream canal) and the Kuloy (downstream).
The project of the canal construction between the Kuloy and the Mezen was first discussed in 1840. The idea behind was that the timber in the Sotka, the Kuloy, and other rivers in the Kuloy basin could be only rafted into the Mezen Bay, located remotely, or transported by land. It would be more convenient to channel the timber into the Pinega and downstream to the Northern Dvina. In 1844, the Arkhangelsk State Good Chamber decided that the project is unprofitable. In 1925, new reserch has been performed, cause by the growth of timber cutting in the Kuloy River basin. The construction of the canal took two years, from 1926 to 1928. There was one lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
on the canal 160 metres (524.9 ft) long. The minimum width of the canal is 20 metres (65.6 ft).
The canal is currently in use, though it is pretty much neglected, the lock is broken, and the canal is too shallow for large boats. In summer, it sometimes almost dries out.