Khemchik River
Chemtschik at Kyzyl - Maschalyk
The Chemtschik (Russian Хемчик; Tuvan Кемчик, Kemtschik ) is a 320 km long left tributary of the Yenisei River in the southern Siberian republic of Tuva (Russia).
Course
The Chemtschik rises to about 2750 m on the eastern flank of there about 3100 m high Schapschal - ridge, which forms the border between Tuva and the Altai Republic in the east of the Russian Altai. It flows in easterly directions in an initially narrow valley, which then widens above the village Teeli in the western part of the Tuva Basin. In the steppe landscape, also known there as Chemtschik Basin, framed by Westsajan in the north and Tannu - Ola Mountains in the south, it extends further to the northeast past the town of Ak - Dowurak and Rajonverwaltungszentren Kyzyl - Maschalyk and Sug -Aksy (formerly Sut -Chol ). In this section of the river has a slower flow, meanders in places, forming arms.
In the lower reaches of the river leaves the plateau, returns to the character of a fast-flowing mountain river and cuts through the mountains Chemtschik said part of the Westsajan in a narrow, rocky valley. He eventually empties into the Sayano - Schuschensker reservoir of the Yenisei. The lower section of the river, depending on the water level to more than ten kilometers in the dam area. Above the dam the Chemtschik is over 100 meters wide and two meters deep, the flow rate is there 3.0 m / s
The most important tributaries of the right Barlyk and Tschadan, more Chon -Chem, Czech Inge -Chem, Tschyrgaky and Kara- Sug, as well as from left Alash and Ak - Sug, another Kleiner Chemtschik ( Maly Chemtschik ) Tschindosyn and Aldy - Ischkin.
Hydrology
The catchment area of the river comprises 27,000 km ².
The mean annual runoff is at the level of 59 km above the mouth of 101 m³ / s bit a minimum monthly average of 26.1 m³ / s in February and a maximum monthly average of 246 m³ / s in July. The river freezes from November to late April / early May.
Use and infrastructure
The Chemtschik is not navigable. In the area of the middle run, in the relatively dry Chemtschik Basin, serve the Chemtschik and some of its tributaries for irrigation, whose purpose smaller irrigation channels were created.
By Chemtschik Valley the A162 trunk road runs from Teeli on a longer section to Kyzyl. They crossed the river twice, first above the village Aldyn -Bulak, because they changed Ak - Dowurak and Kyzyl - Maschalyk back on the right river bank. There also branches off the A161 in the direction of Abasa and Abakan, the western of the two road connections from Tuva in the more northern regions of Russia.
From the headwaters of the Chemtschik crosses with 2534 m one of the lowest passes the Schapschal - ridge between Tuva and western neighboring Altai Republic. Beyond the pass stems from the Sai - Gonysch, one of the headwaters of the right Chulyshman Creek Schawla in the river system of the Ob. But runs only a road over the pass; the opposite side of the passport eastern part of the Altai Republic is largely uninhabited.