Utopia on the water. Voronezh water dam: technical structure or alternative bridge Location belonging to the river basin Voronezh reservoir

This week, the city began large-scale work to clean the reservoir, and at the same time to increase its depth. It’s hard to believe, but after all the planned measures to improve the reservoir have been carried out, there will be no fear of becoming a mutant after swimming in its waters. The TVR editors decided to recall the history of the city reservoir and the stages of its existence.

Before the creation of the reservoir, the Voronezh River flowed here, on which the construction of Peter I’s ships began back in 1695. As a result of complex work, the river became very shallow, and to save it, the world’s first sluice systems were built. And they worked - the water in the river rose, and in 1703 a wooden dam and a gate sluice were erected on it, which existed until 1931.

the first fortifications and dams appear, designed to fill the shallow Voronezh River with water

Despite the fact that the dam coped with its task, the condition of this section of the river left much to be desired - the floodplain turned into a swamp, the place became a breeding ground for infections and a habitat for mosquitoes. Voronezh went to new level development, the situation needed to be urgently corrected.

Two options were considered - flooding and draining the area, but preference was still given to flooding. But while issues of improving the condition of the river were being resolved, the Great Patriotic War began - the story of improving the reservoir was postponed.

After the war, the city took a long time to recover, and only by 1967 was the issue of the reservoir raised again. The work to create a new reservoir was supposed to take 15 years, but the shock workers completed it in a record 3 years. True, this also had its drawbacks - due to hasty work, the bottom was not deepened enough, treatment facilities for enterprises were not built, which in the future became the cause of serious pollution of the Voronezh reservoir.

by the summer of 1972

The Voronezh reservoir has acquired its usual shape

Our reservoir was the first man-made reservoir of such an area in the USSR, and it is also located within the city.

The official opening took place on March 31, 1972, and by the summer the water in it had risen to modern levels. Its length is 50 km, its area is 70 square kilometers, and its width is 2 kilometers. The average depth in the reservoir is almost 3 meters. To launch the reservoir project, huge areas of forests and meadows were flooded, and UNESCO noted the Voronezh Reservoir as a unique reservoir.

The reservoir was created for the industrial use of water by enterprises in Voronezh and Lipetsk, land irrigation, fish farming and recreation for citizens. Previously, its beaches were always full of people in the warm season, who happily swam and sunbathed, without fear of catching some terrible disease. There were no problems with water quality in the 70-80s, and therefore the beaches were filled to capacity.

In the early 90s, the reservoir began to bloom - hasty construction took its toll, swimming and fishing in the reservoir gradually disappeared.

And now, finally, the authorities have decided to breathe into the reservoir new life, cleaning it and increasing the depth of its bottom, which will solve the problem of flowering and eliminate a favorable environment for the growth of bacteria. Russian companies in alliance with Great Britain, Spain and the Netherlands, they began the long-awaited project. By December of this year, work in the Petrovskaya embankment area will be completed, but this is only the first stage. In 2017, the reservoir will continue to be cleaned, starting from the island on Admiralteyka and ending with Vogres. Let's hope that soon we, like the townspeople of the 70-80s, will be able to spend summer days without fear on the shores of the Voronezh Sea, sunbathing and plunging into clean and cool water, and most importantly, completely safe for health.

In order to discuss this ambitious (especially for Voronezh, which is sorely short of funds) project, the so-called scientific and technical council was convened in the city administration, which gave the go-ahead for its implementation. Yesterday, the mayor himself, having decided to familiarize himself with the state of affairs on the ground, made a business trip on a boat along the Voronezh reservoir.

Behind last years the reservoir was greatly degraded - “drained” even without outside intervention: it greatly decreased in length, width and depth. For example, initially, according to the project, its area was 70 square kilometers, but it became about 60.
It must be said that problems with this largest hydraulic structure in the region began immediately from the time of its creation - in 1972. Mainly due to errors in the design: given the available area of ​​the “mirror”, the depth of the reservoir left much to be desired. In addition, before releasing water here - as always, the deadlines were pushed - the bottom of the reservoir was not cleaned and properly equipped. Further, the situation only worsened: the enterprises for whose needs the reservoir was, in fact, built, took water from here, and then discharged it poorly or untreated. Because of this, firstly, there was a massive death of fish, and secondly, the reservoir, in conditions of oxygen starvation, was filled with harmful blue-green algae. Moreover, it turned out that a huge reservoir in the city center is a storage facility not only for water, but also for garbage and dioxins. Not only industrial enterprises contribute to the pollution of the reservoir: a mixture of sand, dirt and petroleum products also comes here from storm sewers. The waste is supplied by cottages built on the shore of a reservoir, whose owners did not bother to build a perfect sewer system.

In a word, although Voronezh residents habitually call this hydraulic structure a “sea,” the “sea” is more like a swamp - in other places you can walk 15 meters along the liquid-like bottom before reaching the “depth.” By the way, sanitary doctors categorically prohibit swimming in the reservoir. But it’s still not possible to isolate yourself from it with an “iron curtain”: it was recently proven that the “sea” feeds underground reservoirs from which drinking water for the city is taken.

In a word, something needs to be done with the reservoir. Main question: what exactly and for what means? The mayor's office offered its own recipe for salvation. According to the head of the city department for ecology and environmental protection, Alexander Kozlov, first it is necessary to confirm the category of the reservoir as a fishery facility, so that water users (primarily industrial enterprises and treatment plants) understand: before discharging waste water, it is necessary to it to a certain level of purification. Secondly, according to the city’s chief ecologist, it is necessary to clean the bottom and deepen the reservoirs. The latter is necessary so that the bottom is not heated by the sun and grass does not grow there. It is also expected that as a result of deepening the reservoir, springs will open at the bottom. Then it is planned to lower the reservoir by half a meter, after which the banks will be washed into the “sea”. It is assumed that drainage will help solve several problems: improve the environmental condition of the city, eliminate so-called flooding areas in the residential sector. But the main thing is to get great benefits. Firstly, through the sale of “hundreds of thousands of tons of bottom sediments” as fertilizer. And secondly (and this is the main “point” of the city authorities), - due to the “formed” in the central part of the city, where, as is known, there is a large shortage of plots, several thousand hectares of land. According to the authors of the project, these hectares can be used for the construction of residential neighborhoods and office buildings (10-15 percent), as well as parks, sanatoriums, etc. Huge investments are planned for construction. By the way, the city authorities are so confident in the success of their enterprise that they have already outlined the first “reclamation sites.”

It is difficult to judge how feasible this bold (some call it adventurous) city hall project is feasible. However, there is every reason to believe that the city administration will simply not be allowed to even approach the reservoir. The fact is that the “sea” is federal property, and its coastal part is municipal property. The Voronezh authorities reasoned that if the coast is “ours,” then the part of the land reclaimed from the water will have the same form of ownership. Not to mention the environmental side of the matter: after all, a reservoir is nothing more than an ecosystem, intervention in which must be preceded by serious research.

In addition, regional authorities have their own views of the reservoir and their own understanding of what is happening there. About three years ago, in order to somehow systematize research and work with the reservoir, the regional administration established the state unitary enterprise “Voronezh Reservoir”, which, at the very least, is engaged in cleaning it: extracting sleepers, anti-aircraft guns from the Great Patriotic War, the skeletons of sunken barges and similar junk from the depths .

By the way, the mayor himself, having heard the first objections to his idea, said that there would be many who would like to, including high-ranking officials, to prevent the implementation of the project, since a lot of money (including federal money) is being spent on improving the reservoir, which in fact in fact they disappear to no one knows where.

Direct speech

Vladimir Gaiterov, Head of the Department for Subsoil Use and Safety of Hydraulic Structures of the Voronezh Directorate federal service for supervision in the field of environmental management:

– The Voronezh Reservoir is a federal facility and something can be done with it – emptying it or lowering the water level – only if the corresponding government resolution is adopted, and even then after a thorough examination. Otherwise, a catastrophe may result: lower the water level in the lower reaches by half a meter - in the upper reaches of the pool it will drop by three meters: swampy areas will appear and mosquitoes will breed. Fish spawning areas will be under threat. In such a situation, you can immediately send the materials to the prosecutor’s office and open a criminal case.

Mikhail Chubirko, chief sanitary doctor Voronezh region:

“In my opinion, we need to intervene very carefully in the reservoir.” As far as I know, hydrogeologists speak very cautiously about deepening the reservoir - the entire chain of consequences must be predicted with extreme accuracy. In addition, to empty and clean the reservoir, tens of billions of rubles are required - the city does not have that kind of money.
Although, of course, something needs to be done with the reservoir: when summer begins and the shallow water warms up, we find here cholera embryos, helminths and much more - almost all harmful microorganisms.

By the way

The current project to develop the reservoir is far from the first. A year ago, the chief architect of the region, Leonid Yanovsky, shared his vision of the “beautiful distance”: “It would be nice to reclaim islands in the Voronezh reservoir, build bridges, canals, jet skis with water parks there and make this water “extravaganza” the center of the city.” Yanovsky’s architectural fantasies were inspired by a map of Voronezh in 1910 - then two rivers, many streams and canals flowed through the city. The regional architect proposed killing two birds with one stone: cleaning the reservoir and building a “park city” there. The idea of ​​​​cleaning was borrowed from the Germans, who at one time cleared the Rhine in this way: they washed up islands, as a result, speed water flow increased and the river cleared. They hope that the same thing - if set in motion - will happen with the stagnant and swampy reservoir. The second stage of the “renaissance” is the construction of various kinds of water parks and jet skis: they say, let’s start with budgetary forces, and then investors will catch up. By the way, both projects voiced by the mayor and the regional architect imply that “an emphasis on the reservoir” will be the main one in the master plan for the construction and development of the city that is being prepared (for more than one decade, however).

2.5.2.8. Analysis of the use of the Voronezh reservoir

The directions for using the Voronezh reservoir are determined by the position this reservoir occupies in the city. The reservoir is elongated in the meridional direction and divides the city into two approximately equal parts, located on the right and left banks of the reservoir. On the banks of the reservoir there are residential areas, elements of urban road network, industrial enterprises in different places, the reservoir is crossed by 4 bridges with dams (see Fig. 2.5.2.1).

in the reservoir it is also used as a source of technical water. Water is not withdrawn for the needs of domestic and drinking water supply from the reservoir in question due to the low quality of water, as a result of which the costs of water treatment in the case of organizing surface water intake will exceed the cost of groundwater treatment. At the same time, due to the infiltration of water from the reservoir into underground aquifers used for water supply to the city, this reservoir has an indirect impact on the quality of drinking water (see 2.5.2.4). The reservoir can also be considered as an important element of the urban environment, a location for existing elements of residential and industrial development, as well as new construction.

Water balances are compiled on the basis of data from documentation on the operation of the reservoir. And the analysis of the incoming and outgoing parts of the balances shows that the main part of the water enters the reservoir from the upstream sections of the river. Voronezh (from 86% to 87% of water inflow depending on the year’s precipitation). The main part of the water flow from the reservoir is a sanitary release into its lower pool (72% - 73% depending on the year's precipitation). At the same time, 74.8 million m3 of water (8% of its consumption from the reservoir) is consumed for the needs of technical water supply for industrial enterprises of the city and for irrigation of lands per year, 95% of the supply. The structure of surface water consumption of the Voronezh reservoir is presented in Fig. 2.5.2.7. In the structure of water consumption of the reservoir under consideration for technical water supply, a large share is occupied by its use for energy needs. For this reason, this type of water consumption is considered as a separate item in the water balance (see Fig. 2.5.2.7).

It should be noted that the use of underground water sources for technical water supply needs in a volume of more than 30 million m 3 /year, given the existing shortage of underground water intake capacity, leads to the need to consider the reservoir as a backup source of water for the city’s industry. At the same time, given the existing structure of the water balance, the flow into the lower reaches of the reservoir is lower than the flow into it from the upstream section of the river. Voronezh. Thus, for a year of 95% supply, the water release into the lower pool is 1024 million m3/year, with the annual supply from the upstream sections of the river being 1094 million m3. Thus, a further increase in water withdrawal from the reservoir may lead to a reduction in the flow of river flow into the Don. Voronezh.

Losses for filtration of water from the Voronezh reservoir are 4.0 million m3/year. Infiltration into underground aquifers does not exceed 0.4% of the total water flow of the reservoir. At the same time, in the total water consumption used for domestic and drinking water supply of the city, the volume of which is 159.9 million m3/year, the share of infiltration from the reservoir reaches 2.5%. The surface waters of the reservoir are characterized by a fairly high degree of pollution. The concentrations of pollutants in the water of the reservoir for a number of indicators exceed the quality standards established for water bodies for fishing purposes. The content of petroleum products in water within the city is 0.44 mg/l (see 2.5.2.1, table 2.5.2.3) and, thus, also exceeds the maximum permissible concentration for water bodies for domestic and drinking water use.

Due to the fairly high risk of contamination of groundwater used for domestic and drinking water supply to the city as a result of infiltration from the reservoir, the most pressing issues are to stop excess discharge from sewer networks and urban areas (see 2.5.2.7). As an option to guarantee a complete cessation of the discharge of contaminated wastewater into the reservoir, one can consider the proposal to build bypass collectors along both banks of the reservoir, with sewerage being diverted to two new treatment plants, which should be located in the area below the dam.

From the point of view of sanitary-hygienic and urban-functional zoning, the reservoir with adjacent territories can be divided into three zones corresponding to the following morphological sections of the reservoir.

Southern zone: from VOGRESovsky bridge to the hydroelectric dam (length coastline- 23.2 km) represents the 1st section of the reservoir. In terms of urban planning, this zone is represented by a number of large industrial enterprises, the Peschanka residential area, and forests.

Figure 2.5.2.7

Structure of surface water consumption of the Voronezh reservoir

The central zone: from the railway bridge to the VOGRES bridge (the length of the coastline is 22.7 km) combines the 2nd and 3rd sections of the reservoir. This is the zone of the main architectural, spatial and compositional formation of the planning structure of the city and its center. It is in the middle section that there is a significant anthropogenic load caused by urban development, the largest number of sources of pollution of the reservoir: the majority of storm sewer discharges from residential and industrial areas, discharges of conditionally clean water from industrial sites, emergency discharges, sewer collectors, pumping stations and departmental water intakes, parking lots located in violation of sanitary standards.

The northern zone between the Chertovitsky and railway bridges (the length of the coastline is 29.1 km) represents the 4th section of the reservoir. The zone is used for mass recreation of citizens.

Thus, summing up the above, we can conclude that the Voronezh reservoir is currently used mainly as recreational area and source of water supply. The main function of the reservoir in the process of water supply is to recharge underground aquifers used for water supply to the city. At the same time, the surface waters of the reservoir have an indirect effect on the quality of water in public utility and drinking water supply networks..

Why did Peter I not build a fleet in Voronezh, and what secrets does the city reservoir hide?

Downtown tells difficult stories urban objects that surround us, but about which we do not know as much as we could. Today we will talk about the main water artery of the city.

The Voronezh Reservoir is the first purpose-built reservoir of this scale in the history of the USSR, located within the city. It appeared in 1972, and now its length from north to south is 50 kilometers, the average width is 2 kilometers, and the average depth is 2.9 meters.

Previously, on the site of the reservoir there was the Voronezh River, on the banks of which Peter I began the construction of ships. As a result of the work, forests on the banks were cut down, which led to a strong shallowing of the river at the beginning of the 18th century.

To save the reservoir from drying out, according to the project of the English engineer Peri, the world's first sluice systems and dams were built, which maintained the required water level.

The wooden dam existed until 1931, but fell into disrepair much earlier. Its territory has become the curse of Voronezh because of malaria mosquitoes, for which the high humidity of the dam was an ideal habitat.

Despite this, city residents loved to spend time on the river. For some it was also a place of work (n and on the shore there were merchant wool washes, where wool was washed) and rest. On the banks you could rent a boat, and just below the estate of the circus performer A.L. Durov on the river there was a pier in the form of a pavilion on stilts, reminiscent of a gazebo.

IN favorite place recreation turned into an island on which the former Admiralty workshop stood. Since 1876, it was leased along with the Voronezh Island by the Petrovsky Yacht Club, a society of sailing and rowing boat enthusiasts.

The right bank of the river was connected to the island by a small bridge. The yacht club existed until Civil War, and its building was destroyed to the ground during the Great Patriotic War.

In the 30s, Voronezh became a city with big amount industrial enterprises, and for this it was necessary to meet the city’s growing needs for water. As a result, in 1937, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted the Resolution “On the improvement of the Voronezh River and its floodplain.” Two options were considered: flooding and drainage. Preference was given to flooding, but the war prevented the plan from being carried out.

They returned to the project in the 70s. The work to create the reservoir was carried out in a short time, ahead of schedule, as a result of which, instead of the 15 years allotted for the creation of the reservoir, it was completed in 3 years.

Floodplain meadows, groves and forests were flooded, and in 1972 the Voronezh Sea was ready. The reservoir was intended for industrial use of water by enterprises in Voronezh and Lipetsk, land irrigation, fish farming and recreation for city residents.

There were always a lot of people on the beaches who came to the reservoir to take a break from concrete jungle. Judging by the newspapers of the 70-80s, then there were no problems with the quality of water and coastal areas, as evidenced by the city beaches filled to capacity. Among the residents there were legends about sunken ships and bog oak from the time of Peter I, which supposedly still rest at the bottom of the reservoir.

Soon, the hasty construction made itself felt, and the reservoir began to “bloom.” "due to the fact that the depth and area of ​​the water table did not match. In the early 90s, sanitary services announced that the reservoir did not meet accepted standards, so swimming in the reservoir became less common and fishing on its territory remained only a sporting hobby. The authorities carried out a purge, but it was not deep enough to change the situation for the better.

The draft regional budget for 2013 provides 46 million rubles for the improvement of the water area. Now the city authorities are working to solve the problems of developing the reservoir and its aquatorial space in order to give the reservoir and coastal areas the role of the main planning element and equip it as modernly and rationally as possible.

The Voronezh reservoir was built in 1972 on the Voronezh River. The main purpose of the Voronezh reservoir is to replenish groundwater reserves in the interests of drinking water supply, improve industrial water supply, eliminate malaria within the city of Voronezh, use for recreation, water improvement and irrigation of lands (about 12,000 hectares) of suburban agricultural enterprises.

The location of the reservoir within the city of Voronezh has a significant impact on its hygienic, hydrological, hydrobiological and hydrochemical features. The peculiarity of the Voronezh reservoir is the complete absence of regulated capacity and an almost constant water level, maintained throughout the year at 93.0 meters above sea level. There are only 3 reservoirs of this type in Russia (Voronezh, Cheboksary on the Volga and Nizhnekamskoye on the Kama). The water level does not decrease even in dry years.

Over more than 40 years of operation, changes have occurred in its main morphometric parameters: the volume of water decreased from 204,000,000 to 199,300,000 m3, the area decreased from 70 to 59.9 km2, the average width changed from 2.0 to 1.7 kilometers, the average depth increased from 2.9 to 3.3 meters. With the filling of the Voronezh reservoir to the normal retaining horizon, the water level rose above the low-water edge of the river: at the hydroelectric dam - by 7.8 meters; at

 

It might be useful to read: