Experience in Controlling Structures of Volzhski-Kamsk Cascade of Reservoirs and Issues of Socio-Economic and Environmental Stability in the Volga Region

摘要

The Volga basin, with a catchment area of more than 1.35 million km~2, is the largest river basin in Europe and among the biggest basins in the world. The mean annual flow of the Volga River is about 260 km~3. More than 60 million people live in the basin area. As a result of the construction of 11 hydro schemes with reservoirs on the Volga River and its main tributary Kama, between 1930 and 1970, one of the world's largest water-management systems was formed, with a total reservoir volume of about 190 km~3 and a net storage capacity of 80 km~3. The established system has a number of functions, including electricity generation, large-capacity navigation, water supply to the population, and irrigation.