The Chuvash Republic has significant natural water reserves. Within the republic, 2,356 rivers and streams with a total length of 8,650 km flow in whole or in part. All of them belong to the Volga basin.
The largest part of them (93.1%) has a length of less than 10 km, that is, they are classified as the smallest. There are 119 (5%) rivers with a length of 10-25 km, 5 (0.2%) from 101 to 500 km, and 2 (0.1%) over 500 km (Table 1).
| № pp |
Gradation of rivers, watercourses | Length of rivers, km | Number of units | % | Total length of rivers, km | % |
| 1 | Smallest | <10 | 2193 | 93,1 | 5030 | 55,5 |
| 2 | The smallest | 10-25 | 119 | 5,0 | 1676 | 18,5 |
| 3 | Small | 26-100 | 37 | 1,6 | 1418 | 15,6 |
| 4 | Average | 101-500 | 5 | 0,2 | 526 | 5,8 |
| 5 | Large | >500 | 2 | 0,1 | 420 | 4,6 |
| 6 | Total | 2356 | 100 | 9070 | 100 |
The density of the republic's river network is 0.48 km/km 2 . The highest values of river network density (up to 1.2 km/km 2) are confined to the elevated northern part of Chuvashia, which is distinguished by a complex geological and tectonic structure with developed microfolding and numerous aquifers. The southern part of the republic is characterized by weaker development of the river network.
The water regime of small rivers is characterized by stable, but low water content during low water periods and high water content during high water periods. Their stable low-water period is formed mainly by underground recharge waters. Low intensity of underground recharge is characterized for the central and south-eastern parts of the republic. The area of medium intensity underground recharge occupies the southwestern part of the republic along the right bank of the Sura River, as well as the Trans-Volga region. Average long-term water flows according to data from passports of small rivers are: Bolshoy Tsivil river - 21.2 m 3 /sec, Maly Tsivil river - 5.77 m 3 /sec, Anish river - 3.3 m 3 /sec, river Kubnya - 7.6 m 3 /sec, Bula River - 4.56 m 3 /sec. Water flow rates during low-water periods, as a rule, do not exceed 1.0 m 3 /sec. Only in the middle reaches of the Bolshoy Tsivil and Kubnya, as well as in the lower reaches of the Abyss and Kiri, 1-3 m 3 /sec flows. Under domestic conditions, more than 80% of the annual flow on small rivers passes during the spring flood.
The main rivers flowing through the territory of the republic are the Volga and Sura. The most significant of the small rivers are the Bolshoy Tsivil, Maly Tsivil, Anish, Kubnya and Bula (Table 2).
| № pp |
River name | Catchment area, thousand km 2 | Average annual flow rate, m 3 /s | Annual flow volume, km 3 | ||
| average | largest | least | ||||
| 1 | Volga | 629,0 | 3510 | 111,0 | ||
| 2 | Sura | 65,5 | 251,1 | 11,7 | 16,02 | 3,91 |
| 3 | Alatyr | 11,2 | 41,2 | 1,93 | 2,47 | 0,53 |
| 4 | Civil | 4,69 | 18,3 | 0,92 | 1,20 | 0,39 |
| 5 | Anish | 0,89 | 3,3 | 0,16 | 0,22 | 0,05 |
| 6 | Kubnya | 2,0 | 7,6 | 0,34 | 0,44 | 0,14 |
| 7 | Bula | 1,22 | 4,5 | 0,20 | 0,27 | 0,08 |
Lakes
Located in the northeastern part of the Volga Upland, characterized by a pronounced erosional relief, the Chuvash Republic is characterized by a weak saturation of lake forms. There are no large lakes in the republic. There are 754 lakes in total. Over 85% of the total number of lakes does not exceed an area of 5 hectares. The largest lakes in terms of water surface area are: Chernoye - 40 hectares, Bolshoye Lebedinoye - 30 hectares, Beloe - 18 hectares, Kulhiri - 14 hectares, Svetloye - 13 hectares. The vast majority of lakes have shallow depths of up to - 2.5 m. Only 7 lakes have a maximum depth of more than 10 m (Table 3).
| № pp |
Name | Mirror area, km 2 | Water volume, km 3 |
| 1 | Al | 0,10 | 0,0004 |
| 2 | Bolshoye Lebedinoye | 0,30 | 0,0005 |
| 3 | White | 0,18 | 0,0005 |
| 4 | Külhiri | 0,14 | 0,0007 |
| 5 | Light | 0,13 | 0,0004 |
| 6 | Shadows | 0,09 | 0,0004 |
| 7 | Black | 0,40 | 0,0005 |
The distribution of lakes in Chuvashia is uneven. Most of the lakes are located in the floodplains of the Sura and Tsivil rivers. There are 113 of them in the watershed areas. According to the origin, the lakes are karst, suffosion, karst-suffosion, interdune or floodplain.
Despite their small size, the lakes are of great importance for the densely populated republic. Their waters are widely used by the population and in the national economy. In a number of rural settlements they are the only source of domestic water supply. Sapropel is extracted from Lake Kogoyar and is used in medicine.
There has been no systematic study of the chemical composition of lake water. According to sporadic studies, they are fresh or slightly mineralized, predominantly hydrocarbonate-sulfate-calcium.
Swamps
The good drainage of the main part of the territory of Chuvashia due to its deep and strong dissection excludes conditions for the formation of swamps. In the republic, swamps are common on floodplains and above-floodplain river terraces.
Relatively large swamps are confined to the Trans-Volga part of the republic on the second and third floodplain terraces of the Volga River - “White Lipsha” (6.5 thousand hectares), “Dryannoe” (14.2 thousand hectares), as well as to the floodplain of the Sura River and its above-floodplain terraces - “Bolshoye Lesnoye” (11.3 thousand hectares), “Zasypino-Suslovskoye” (4.2 thousand hectares), “Kovyrlovo” (5.2 thousand hectares) and “Novo-Goreloye” ( 6.1 thousand hectares).
By origin, the swamps are predominantly lowland, some are transitional, and only a few small upland swamps. The thickness of peat deposits reaches 5-8 m. The average ash content of peat is about 20-25%. It is rich in minerals, as a result of which the extracted peat is mainly used as fertilizer (Table 4).
The resources and quality of bog waters have not been studied.
| № pp |
Name | Mirror area, km 2 | Water volume, km 3 |
| 1 | White Lipsha | 6,5 | - |
| 2 | Bolshoye Lesnoye | 11,3 | - |
| 3 | Trashy | 14,2 | - |
| 4 | Zasypino-Suslovskoe | 4,2 | - |
| 5 | Kovirlovo | 5,2 | - |
| 6 | Newly burnt | 6,1 | - |
Chuvashia occupies the north-eastern part of the Volga Upland with the Chuvash plateau, strongly dissected by ravines and gullies, which abruptly ends towards the Volga. In the west and southwest, the plateau passes into the Sursky trough; on the left bank of the Volga, on the territory of the republic, there is a part of the marshy Mari Lowland.
The Chuvash Republic is part of the Volga Federal District. The administrative center is Cheboksary.
The territory of the republic is 18,343 km2, the population (as of January 1, 2017) is 1,235,863 people.
Surface water resources
The water bodies of Chuvashia belong to the Caspian Sea basin - the Volga basin.
The river network of the republic is represented by 2,356 rivers with a total length of 8,650 km (the density of the river network is 0.47 km/km 2), most of which are small rivers and streams. The rivers of Chuvashia are characterized by mixed feeding with a predominance of snow. The rivers belong to the Eastern European type of water regime, which is characterized by spring floods with a sharp increase in water level, summer-autumn low water, interrupted by rain floods, and winter low water. The rivers freeze in November and open in April. The largest rivers of the republic are the Volga and its tributaries of the first and second order - the Sura and Alatyr (a tributary of the Sura). About a quarter of the republic's territory is located within the basin of the Tsivil River, a right tributary of the Volga.
According to data as of January 1, 2015, 39.4 thousand m 3 /day was produced and extracted from underground water bodies of Chuvashia during the year, including 17.1 thousand m 3 /day in the fields. is 7.95%.
Provision of population with water resources (according to 2015 data)
The provision of the population of Chuvashia with river flow resources is 64.369 thousand m 3 /year per person, which is higher than both the Russian average (31.717 thousand m 3 /year per person) and the indicator of the Volga Federal District (8.533 thousand m 3 /year per person ).
The provision of predicted groundwater resources is 0.509 m 3 /day per person, which is lower than the Russian average (5.94 m 3 /day per person) and the federal district indicator (2.856 m 3 /day per person). According to this indicator, Chuvashia ranks last among the regions of the federal district.
Below is the dynamics of the provision of river flow resources to the population of Chuvashia in 2010–2015.
Water use (as of 2015)
The withdrawal of water resources from all types of natural sources in Chuvashia is 99.07 million m3, most of which is taken from surface water bodies - 85.34 million m3 or 86.14%, which is 0.11% of the annual river flow. Below is the dynamics of fresh water intake in Chuvashia in 2010–2015.
The total water losses during transportation in the republic are 2.27 million m3 or 2.29% of withdrawn water, which is lower than both the federal district figure (5.42%) and the Russian average (11.02%). Below is the dynamics of water losses during transportation in the region in 2010–2015.
– 96.78 million m3. A significant part of the water was used for drinking and domestic needs, as well as industrial needs (47.94% and 34%, respectively), agricultural water supply and irrigation accounted for 1.73% and 0.28%, respectively. Below is the dynamics of water consumption in the region in 2010–2015.
Domestic water consumption per capita in Chuvashia is 37.521 m 3 /year per person, which is lower than both the Russian average and the federal district indicator (56.205 and 53.841 m 3 /year per person, respectively). According to this indicator, the Chuvash Republic ranks last among the regions of the federal district. Below is the dynamics of domestic water consumption per capita in the region in 2010–2015.
in Chuvashia – 475.92 million m3 or 83.1% of the region’s total water consumption. Below is the dynamics of direct-flow and recycling and re-sequential water consumption in the republic in 2010–2015.
Discharge of wastewater into water bodies of the region is 101.83 million m3, of which 63.18% is conditionally pure and standardly treated wastewater and 36.82% is polluted and insufficiently treated. The republic generates 1.49% of the total volume of polluted and insufficiently treated wastewater in the Volga Federal District and 0.26% in Russia. Below is the dynamics of water disposal in the region in 2010–2015.
Water quality (based on 2014 data)
In 2014, in the centralized water supply systems of Chuvashia, non-compliance with standards for sanitary and chemical indicators was recorded in 20% of samples taken, and for microbiological indicators - in 0.7% of samples. In non-centralized water supply systems, the quality of 29.3% of samples for sanitary-chemical indicators and 7.7% of samples for microbiological indicators did not meet the standard. Below is the dynamics of the corresponding indicators in the region in 2010–2014.
Water management
The Chuvash Republic is in the area of responsibility of the Upper Volga Basin Water Administration of the Federal Agency for Water Resources of Russia.
The functions of providing public services and managing federal property in the field of water resources on the territory of the republic are carried out by the Department of Water Resources of the Upper Volga Bank of Water Resources in the Chuvash Republic.
The powers in the field of water relations transferred to the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the functions of providing public services and managing regional property in the field of water resources in the region are carried out by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Chuvash Republic.
The state program “Development of the potential of natural raw materials and increasing environmental safety” for 2014–2020 is being implemented on the territory of the republic, the structure of which includes the subprogram “Development of the water management complex of the Chuvash Republic”. Among the objectives of the program are the protection of water bodies and increasing their carrying capacity, preventing the negative impact of water, protecting populated areas, economic facilities and social infrastructure from flooding and inundation, ensuring trouble-free operation of hydraulic structures and others.
When preparing the material, data from the State reports “On the state and protection of the environment of the Russian Federation in 2015”, “On the state and use of water resources of the Russian Federation in 2015”, “On the state and use of land in the Russian Federation in 2015”, were used. “On the environmental situation in the Chuvash Republic in 2015”, collection “Regions of Russia. Socio-economic indicators. 2016" The ratings of regions for surface and underground water resources do not take into account the indicators of cities of federal significance -
2,356 rivers and streams flow in whole or in part with a total length of 8,650 km. All of them belong to the Volga basin. The largest part of them (93.1%) has a length of less than 10 km, that is, they are classified as the smallest (streams).
There are 119 (5%) rivers with a length of 10-25 km, 5 (0.2%) from 101 to 500 km and 2 (0.1%) over 500 km.
Average long-term water flows according to data from passports of small rivers are: r. Big Civil - 18.2 m3/sec, river. Maly Tsivil - 4.62 m3/sec, river. Anish - 1.26 m3/sec, river Kubnya - 3.57 m3/sec, river. Bula - 4.56 m3/sec.
The main rivers flowing through the territory of the republic are the Volga and Sura. The most significant of the small rivers are the Big Tsivil, the Small Tsivil, the Anish, the Kubnya and the Bula.
The Volga River flows in the northern part of Chuvashia practically from west to east, its length within the Republic is 140 km.
Rivers of Chuvashia (rafting, fishing)
Within the Volga River there is the Cheboksary Hydroelectric Power Station, above the dam site of which there is the Cheboksary Reservoir, below - the Kuibyshevskoye Reservoir. The first is the source of drinking water supply to the large cities of Cheboksary and Novocheboksarsk, where over 600 thousand people live.
The Sura River, a right tributary of the Volga, flows in the west of the republic from south to north. The length of the river within Chuvashia is 280 km. The catchment area on the border with the Republic of Mari El is 65.5 thousand km2. The average annual water flow is 251.1 m3/sec, the average annual flow volume is 11.7 km3, the largest is 16.02 km3, the smallest is 3.91 km3. Water is abstracted from the Sura River for drinking needs for the cities of Alatyr (46.9 thousand people) and Shumerlya (41.0 thousand people). The river is navigable.
The river is of great importance for the republic. Bolshoy Tsivil is the right tributary of the Volga. A quarter of the territory of Chuvashia is located in its basin. Its length is 172 km, the drainage area is 4.69 thousand km2. The average annual water flow in the river is 21.2 m3/sec, the average annual flow volume is 0.92 km3, the largest is 1.2 km3, the smallest is 0.39 km3. The main tributaries of the river. Big Civil are Small Civil (134 km), Unga (65 km), Sorma (52 km), Ryksha (42 km).
In the basin of the Maly Tsivil River, water is withdrawn to provide drinking water to the village of Vurnary.
The Kubnya River, a left tributary of the Sviyaga, flows in the central part of the republic, in the upper reaches from west to east, then to the northeast. Its length is 194 km, of which 108 km are on the territory of the Chuvash Republic, the catchment area is 2.0 thousand km2. The average annual water flow is 7.6 m3/sec, the average annual flow volume is 0.34 km3, the largest is 0.44 km3, the smallest is 0.14 km3. All major tributaries of the Kubnya flow from the left - Khoma (33 km), Uryum (49 km), Uta (46 km).
The Bula River, a left tributary of the Sviyaga, flows in the southeast of the republic from west to east. Its total length is 128 km, within Chuvashia - 92 km. The catchment area is 1.22 thousand km2. The average annual water flow is 4.5 m3/sec, the average annual flow volume is 0.2 km3, the largest is 0.27 km3, the smallest is 0.08 km3. The largest tributaries are Malaya Bula (45 km), Toyabinka (16 km), Sherautka (17 km) and Yerykla (16 km).
RIVERS OF CHUVASHIA
The main river of the republic, flowing through the north. its border is the Volga (length in Chuvashia is 127 km), into which many large and small rivers flow. So-called small rivers in the republic 2356.
Of these, rivers with a stream length of more than 100 km account for 0.2%, and from 25 to 100 km - 2%. Of the more than 750 lakes, approx. 600 - floodplain, the rest in the main. karst, and in the Volga region - interdunes. (see Hydrographic network).
The water regime of the river is characterized by stable, but low water content during summer-autumn-winter low water and high water content during high water (begins in the first week of March - the first week of April).
Rivers of Chuvashia (rafting, fishing) 
Main tributaries
14 km: Kukshum River
31 km: Ryksha River
53 km: Tozhanarka River
55 km: Maly Tsivil River
64 km: Unga River
80 km: Malaya Shatma River
92 km: Bolshaya Shatma River
106 km: Matsa River
112 km: Uslandyr River
113 km: Sorma River
130 km: Abasirma River
132 km: Ileborka River
135 km: Hirlep River
138 km: Middle Tsivil River
157 km: Esqueden River
The River basin is dominated by tributaries less than 10 km long. Their number reaches 638, and their total length is 1270 km. There are 42 tributaries longer than 10 km, their total length is 904 km. The density of the river network reaches 0.8 km/km2, there are tributaries of the sixth and seventh order. The main tributaries of the river. The Tsivils are Maly Tsivil (134 km), Unga (65 km), Sorma (52 km), Ryksha (42 km), Kukshum (36 km), Bolshaya Shatma (34 km) and Khirlep (30 km).
According to another version, the name of the Karla River comes from the Chuvash “khirla” (pine), because. along its entire length from its origins to the village. Karabay-Shemursha it flowed through pine forests. The river parallel to Karla is called Chirsla,” i.e. "charshalla" (spruce).
The source is 2.9 km northeast of the village of Khurama Tvar (Batyrevsky district of Chuvashia). The Karla flows into the Sviyaga on the left at a distance of 154 km from its mouth, on the territory of Tatarstan. 
The drainage area is 1005 km² (approximately equally distributed between the two republics), the length of the river is 91.5 km (37.7 km in Chuvashia, 53.8 km in Tatarstan).
The floodplain is two-sided, up to 350 m wide, covered with meadow vegetation. The valley is not clearly defined, the left bank is moderately steep, the right bank is moderately flat. 88.1% of the catchment area is covered by forest. The prevailing width of the channel is from 8 to 10 m. High floods occur from April to May.
The ice thickness is up to 76 cm. The food is predominantly snow (80%). According to B. D. Zaikov r. Karla belongs to the Eastern European type of intra-annual flow distribution: 69% of the flow occurs in spring.
Length 176 km, basin area 2480 km².
It begins in the Ibresinsky district of Chuvashia.
It flows along the northern edge of the Volga Upland.
The food is predominantly rain-fed.
The average flow rate 29 km from the mouth is 4.2 m³/sec. It freezes in the second half of November - December and opens in April. Rivers of Chuvashia (rafting, fishing) 
On the left bank there is the village of Kubnya, and on the right is the railway. Shusherma platform. 
BIG YUNGA RIVER
Yunga (mar. Yyngy)- a river in the Republic of Mari El (Russia), right tributary.
Length about 56 km.
The source of the river is located near the village of Nikasy (Chuvashia), the mouth is not far from (Volga).
Yunga is a river in Chuvashia (21 km) and Mari El (35 km), a right tributary of the Volga.
The river flows through the settlements: Yunga, Orgum, Yunga-Kusherga, Minyashkino, Elasy, Amanury, Pokrovskoye and ().
Rivers of Chuvashia (rafting, fishing) 
Type of water body River
Name Big YUNGA
Location KAS/VOLGA/2029
Archaeological and natural monuments, such as Keremet ner, Siukhinskoe fortified settlement and others, keep many secrets and mysteries in their depths...
Siukhinsky settlement (1st millennium AD), which is located on a high cape on the right bank of the Bolshaya Yunga River, 1 km northwest of the village of Siukhino. The main function of this kind of “shelter settlements” was to temporarily protect the population. At the moment, work is underway on the territory of the Siukhinsky settlement to restore protective, residential and economic structures.
That is why it is held here every year, where historical reconstruction clubs present the costumes, weapons and life of the medieval peoples who inhabited these places.
Almost the entire current passes through the forest, only below the village of Altyshevo-Lyulsky it flows through a meadow.
18 km from the mouth, Orlik flows into the river on the right, and Karaksirma flows higher on the left. .jpg)
Water register data
According to the State Water Register of Russia, it belongs to the Upper Volga Basin District, the water management section of the river is Sura from the mouth of the Alatyr River to the mouth, the river sub-basin of the river is Sura. The river basin is the (Upper) Volga to the Kuibyshev reservoir (without the Oka basin).
According to the geoinformation system for water management zoning of the territory of the Russian Federation, prepared by the Federal Agency for Water Resources:
The code of the water body in the state water register is 08010500412110000038862
Code for hydrological knowledge (HI) - 110003886
Pool code - 08.01.05.004
Volume number according to GI - 10
Issue according to GI - 0
- one of the reservoirs of the Volga-Kama cascade, located on the Volga River, in the territories of the Chuvash Republic, the Mari El Republic and the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Formed by the dam of the Cheboksary hydroelectric power station, (Chuvash Republic). Filled in 1980-1982.
Area 2190 km², length 341 km, greatest width 16 km, depth up to 35 m.
Large bays along the valleys of the Kerzhenets, Sura, and Vetluga rivers. On the Cheboksary reservoir are the cities of Nizhny Novgorod, Kozmodemyansk, Cheboksary. Motor tourist routes Moscow - Astrakhan, Moscow - Rostov-on-Don, Moscow - Perm, etc. pass through the reservoir.
map of the reservoir at the junction of Mari El and the Nizhny Novgorod region 
The ancient Russian village of Korotni fell into the flood zone of the reservoir.
Cheboksary Reservoir: fishing
The reservoir is attractive primarily for lovers of fishing, which is possible here all year round.
It’s interesting: what harms agriculture is of great help to fishermen. Rotting tree trunks and wetlands are a favorite habitat for some species of fish.
The Cheboksary Reservoir is a habitat for pike, asp, pike perch, perch, etc. They are readily caught with wobblers or unhooked baits. They are most convenient to use so as not to damage the gear on trees or collect debris during fishing.
The most successful places for fishing are the surroundings of the Makaryev Monastery, where there are a lot of predatory fish.
Perch and pike gather in large schools at the mouth of the Kerzhenets River and it is convenient to catch them there with a spinning rod. The right tributary of the Volga - the Sundovik River - is a favorite place for several species of pike. And fishing enthusiasts note that in these places you can catch the entire flock of these predators.
Tourism
There are several recreation centers on the territory of the reservoir, each of which offers a wide range of services for fishermen. This is a rental of space, gear and other equipment.
Also, each of the fishermen can prepare their own catch. The level of comfort in places of residence - from houses with amenities to simple places with tents and campsites.
Some recreation centers hold regular thematic lectures for fishing enthusiasts. The Cheboksary Reservoir is visited by a large number of people every year. -
According to the State Water Register of Russia, it belongs to the Upper Volga Basin District.
According to the geoinformation system for water management zoning of the territory of the Russian Federation, prepared by the Federal Agency for Water Resources:
The code of the water body in the state water register is 08010400312112100000019
Code for hydrological knowledge (HI) - 112100001
Pool code - 08.01.04.003
Volume number according to GI - 12
Issue according to GI - 1
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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
Wikipedia website.
Surface water resources of the USSR: Hydrological knowledge. T. 10. Upper Volga region / Ed. V. P. Shaban. - L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1966. - 528 p.
http://ru.chuvash.org/
Tourist water encyclopedia
“Rivers of Chuvashia” - information about the object in the State Water Register
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.
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