Kupa

The Kolpa at Prelesje in southern Slovenia

The source of the Kupa / Kolpa

The Kolpa / Kupa in Brod na Kupi

Lower reaches of the Kupa at Karlovac

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Kupa ( Croatian) or Kolpa ( Slovenian) ( in German Kulpa ), from Latin Colapis or Calapius is a good fishing tributary of the Sava River in Croatia and Slovenia. It originates in Croatia in the National Park Risnjak is in the area of Gorski Kotar. The river is about 100 km in length along the upper reaches of the Slovenian place Osilnica starting the border between the two countries until about the Slovenian place Božakovo at Metlika in Bela Krajina. Until Karlovac on Croatian territory, he is considered clean and is used for swimming in summer. The Kolpa was elected in 2012 to the EDEN region ( European Destination of Excellence ). A commemorative stamp of the Slovenian Post has issued on this occasion.

Run

The Kupa / Kolpa Gorski Kotar rises in the north-east of Rijeka on the territory of the National Park Risnjak. After her Čabranka is accrued from the left, the Kupa / Kolpa then forms the border with Slovenia, before it flows on Croatian territory behind Metlika. Then it passes through Karlovac and Sisak finally joins up with the Save.

Economic and tourist use of the river

The Kolpa is not navigable. The water power was used to power grain mills but also sawmills (eg Podturn / Slovenia). Sometimes there was a combination of both. Along the Kupa still are some old water mills, some of which have been renovated again in: Sracak, Pravutina, Mišinci, Bubnjarci, Mala Paka and Jurovo. The mills are listed on the Croatian side of the river. About 86 mills there were a total. At the headwaters, on the territory of today Kočevje, some of which were built by the German Gottscheers. Modernization and social change meant that only a few mills and saws are used; on the Slovenian side is still one water mill in the region Kočevje in operation. Tourist of the river mainly for bathing is used. There are also several campsites along the river. In summer, numerous festivals and events take place on the banks. Examples include the Summer Carnival in Podzemelj ( Bela Krajina ), which is organized by the Cultural Association Kucar and the large multi-day rock festival " Schengen Fest" at the campsite Vinica.

Slovenia submitted in 2006 a large part of the river, starting at the village Fučkovci way up to Stari Trg as Krajinski park Kolpa under protection.

At the Kupa and the village Letovanić located in Croatia. The village and the river together form the approximate border between the regions of Croatia Turopolje and Banovina.

Inflows

The most important tributaries of Kupa are the Čabranka, the Dobra, Korana, the Kupčina that Lahinja and Krupa (both in Slovenia), as well as the Glina, the Odra.

Hydrology

The catchment area of ​​the Kupa covers an area of ​​10,032 km ² and is located mostly in Croatia, and to a lesser extent in Slovenia and Bosnia - Herzegovina. The mean river discharge at the mouth into the Sava is 283 m³ / s Thus, the Kupa is after the Drina is the second most water tributary of the Sava.

Bathing facilities

There are countless swimming along the Kolpa. Especially popular bathing facilities with a wide beach there in Pravutina, Mala Paka, Ozalj and Bubnjarci on the Croatian side. On the Slovenian side is bathed in a variety of former water mills or weirs. Examples include Stari Trg, Vinica, Adlešiči, and Griblje. In Podzemelj and Primostek there managed campsites. The popular socialist era campsite with swimming directly at the border crossing in Metlika is to be renewed, according to reports.

Sewage treatment plants, water quality, pollution

With most problematic is the inflow of Krupa, which opens at Primostek in the Kolpa. This short river with picturesque supply is contaminated by PCBs, which originate from an illegal tip of a capacitors plant in Semič. The contamination was detected by chance in 1984 by scientists at the Health Department in Maribor and later in Ljubljana, as they investigated the source of the Krupa to investigate this source of drinking water for the Bela Krajina. Particularly problematic is the fact that this is a karst landscape. Even today, the burden is alarming and can be detected in soil samples, fish in water, pets, etc..

Already in socialist Yugoslavia, the river was used as a watering place for cattle and for the car wash and locals used in the summer months the river for body washing using soaps and shampoos, as many had no real bath at home. The water pollution caused thereby, but was limited locally and only on certain times and therefore relatively low.

Since the collapse of Yugoslavia and later the entry of Slovenia into the EU water quality drops what (Slovenia ) is to be observed especially clearly downstream of Griblje in Bela Krajina. The river bed is considerably silted, possibly by a decrease in rainfall in the summer months. You may also see the weirs are not renewed properly. The water quality suffers from the use of manure and fertilizers on agricultural land.

On top of that is directed into the sewage Kolpa the newly created, two-stage sewage treatment plants since the turn of the millennium, which have been built due to the new sewer system. Now under pressure from the EU, all towns must be connected in the Belka Krajina to a sewer, because the septic tanks used are problematic due to the karst. Outside the cities, many small, two-stage ( mechanical and biological ), decentralized wastewater treatment plants are therefore emerged that govern the treated wastewater into the rivers. Also at the Kolpa are already those sewage treatment plants in operation. However, so far only below the Krajinski Park Kolpa. The first wastewater treatment plant is located at Griblje. Next sewage treatment plants, there are at Krasinec etc. In Vinica is currently a sewer built.

The problem is the burden of the increased use of artificial fertilizers and fertilizer from the biogas plant in Črnomelj. Used to socialist times, most of the small farms only manure for fertilization, which was the karst landscape with only thin humus soils well adapted. Now try by land consolidation measures ( consolidation of agricultural land ) to increase the field size. The few remaining farms are now trying by use of artificial fertilizers, especially manure, which have previously never been used in this area as a fertilizer to increase the yield.

The few years ago was put into operation biogas plant in Črnomelj is exposed lately increased criticism. Many residents Črnomeljs complain again and again about the fact that they were repeatedly exposed to unbearable stench from the plant. In studies of the fermentation residue, it was found that the limits for Salmonella have been exceeded in June 2012. According to press reports, the operator of the plant had to pay to a nearby pig farm a high road for the derivation of the contaminated manure. Observers say that even be used from abroad (eg Bosnia and Herzegovina) slaughterhouse waste in the biogas plant. A local citizens' initiative called Proteus has formed and is fighting for improvements. Environmental activists criticize in this context that the authoritative Slovenian Regulation for processing biodegradable and mixed municipal waste based on limits that apply in Denmark, Germany and France, where there is little or no karst and the soils therefore have a higher self-cleaning capacity there.

Gallery

Dragonfly on the Kolpa

Kolpa in the morning hours ( Vinica )

Kolpa at Prelesje in Slovenia

Kolpa at Osilnica

Road along the Kolpaschlucht

Cattle herd in feces whether Kolpi

Treatment plant at Krasinec

Summer Carnival at Podzemelj, " The Frogs", 2010

Summer Carnival at Podzemelj, " Flintstones ", 2010

Summer Carnival at Podzemelj " Gradaški Macki ", 2010

Summer Carnival at Podzemelj, carnival group " Godlarji ", 2010

Summer Carnival at Podzemelj " Pharaohs", 2010

" The Baby " from Mala vasa, Summer Carnival at Podzemelj, 2010

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