What city is on the river Tom. The Tom River is a large water artery of Western Siberia

She lives on the banks of the Tom
And from slanting, from Tatar eyes
My solar plexus aches
Probably every time
©Oleg Mityaev

On the way back to Novosibirsk, we decided to pass through Tomsk, an ancient city much older than Novosibirsk, which robbed it of its former glory.

The road went through Minusinsk, after which it was necessary to take to Tomsk to the north.

There were almost no cars, but at the exit from Minusinsk we met an ambush in the bushes, rare in these parts.

The road ended completely in some places, but mostly it was decent. We looked at the houses and noticed that in different villages the roofs were made in a different way. Possibly immigrants from central Russia and Ukraine built their houses in different ways.

Finally, towards the end of the day, we reached Tomsk. Tomsk met us with a huge traffic jam at the entrance - the streets were being repaired.

Finally, we made our way through and first of all through the alley with the wild name Sovpartshkolny went to bank of the Tom.

We were told a lot about old Tomsk and we went to see the Museum of Wooden Architecture, but in vain. It was already closed, but the outside was very personal.

Please note that the tram tracks here are made with an ordinary rail and are not recessed. Since we were not lucky with the museum, we went to look for interesting houses. And found a lot of them.

Unfortunately, Tomsk is being built on the remains of the old city. Old houses are being demolished and built, however, it is quite interesting.

Tomsk itself seemed very tasty, green and young, despite its old age. Probably because there are many educational institutions and youth. Universities appeared here after the war, when industry was evacuated here and new personnel were needed.

The source of the Tom is located on the western slopes of the Abakan Range, on a swampy slope between the northern spurs of the Karlygan Range and Mount Tom. The first kilometers flow through the marshy valley in southwest direction. There are various hypotheses regarding the origin of the toponym "Tom". In particular, the well-known linguist and historian A. M. Kondratov (1937-1993) came to the conclusion that the river name goes back to the language now very small people Kets. Linguists point to two possible meanings of the word "Toom" (Tom): "river" and "dark". There are a lot of rocky cliffs along the river.
The length of the river is 827 km, the width of the floodplain is up to 3 km, the elevation difference from the source to the mouth is 1185 m, the catchment area is 62 thousand km². Average long-term water consumption and annual runoff respectively: 1100 m³/s, 35.0 km³/year. average speed currents - 0.33 m / s, on rifts - 1.75 m / s. It freezes in late October - early November, opens in late April. The average duration of freeze-up is 158-160 days, on average 175 days a year are free from ice. Rain supply of the river is 25-40%, snow - 35-55% and soil - 25-35% of the annual flow.

Attractions

• Anykin stone,
• stone "Fighter",
• blue cliff,
• camp garden,
• -Tomsk interfluve,
• tutal rocks,
• Tomsk writing...

tributaries
Main tributaries: Aba, Belsu, Kondoma, Mrassu, Taidon, Lower Ters, Middle Ters, Upper Ters, Tutuyas, Usa, Unga, Iskitimka, Basandaika, Ushaika.

Settlements
Cities on Tom: Mezhdurechensk, Myski, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo, Yurga, Tomsk, Seversk.

Economic use
In the late 1960s, there was a proposal to connect the Tom and a shipping channel 50-60 kilometers upstream from the confluence of the Tom. It was assumed that this canal would shorten the transport route for ships plying along the Tomsk-Novosibirsk route by several tens of kilometers. In addition, Tomsk could get a new clean source of water supply - the biological and chemical composition of the river's water by that time had become cleaner than water Tom River.

In 1975, construction began on the Krapivinskaya hydroelectric power station on the Tom in Kemerovo region near the village of Zelenogorsky. In 1989, construction was frozen. Further fate hydroelectric facility is not defined.

On May 6, 1982, a number of Tomsk scientists and specialists published a letter in the Izvestia newspaper, in which they expressed concern about the shallowing of the river as a result of gravel being scooped out of it for household needs.

Water intakes - The Dragunsky water intake near the village of Atamanovo is used by Novokuznetsk Vodokanal.

Crossings (in the direction from the mouth to the source)

1. Seversky bridge (northern, new) - on the border of Seversk and Tomsk (metal, G-20 + 2 × 1.5, length 800.7 meters, 1999);
2. Communal bridge (southern, old) - in the Kirovsky district of Tomsk;
3. two railway bridges on the Trans-Siberian - near Yurga;
4. the longest pontoon bridge in Russia in Yurga, 720 meters long;
5. railway bridge - in Kemerovo;
6. Kuznetsky bridge - in Kemerovo;
7. Kuzbass bridge - in Kemerovo;
8. An unfinished bridge over the Krapivinskaya hydroelectric power station near the village of Zelenogorsky;
9. Ferry - near the village of Zelenogorsky;
10. Ferry - in the village of Saltymakovo;
11. Ferry - between the city of Yurga and Polomoshnoye, Yashkinsky district of the Kemerovo Region;
12. two railway bridges - on the Novokuznetsk bypass;
13. Ilyinsky bridge (1969) on Ilyinsky highway - in the Zavodskoy district of Novokuznetsk;
14. Zapsibovsky bridge (1963) on Builders Avenue - between the Central and Zavodskoy districts of Novokuznetsk;
15. Kuznetsky bridge (1970) on Druzhby Avenue - between the Central and Kuznetsky districts of Novokuznetsk;
16. railway bridge - to Novokuznetsk-Severny;
17. Baidayevsky bridge on the Pritomskoye highway - in the Ordzhonikidzevsky district of Novokuznetsk;

Name use
The city of Tomsk, the aluminum boats "Tom", the football club "Tom", the museum-reserve "Tomskaya Pisanitsa", the Tom-Usinskaya State District Power Plant, a hotel in Kemerovo, a tape recorder, brake fluid are named after the river.

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Tom originates on the western slope of the Abakan Range at the foot of Mount Sak-Toiga. The length of the river is 798 km, the area of ​​the basin is 61.03 thousand km 2 - the 7th in terms of the area of ​​the basin and the 9th in terms of the length of the tributary of the Ob. Main tributaries: Usa, Lower Ters, Middle Ters, Upper Ters, Taydon (right) Mras-Su, Kondoma, Unga (left).

Upper part of the pool Mountain country. Near the city of Mezhdurechensk, the river enters the Kuznetsk basin, crosses the Kolyvan folded region, and in its lower reaches flows within the Kolpashevskaya depression, which occupies the southeastern outskirts of the West Siberian lowland. In the region of the city of Tomsk, there is a well-defined boundary between the geological structures of the Kolyvan-Tomsk zone and the West Siberian lithospheric plate.

In the upper reaches, the river flows through a narrow valley, has a rapids channel, on rocky rifts the depth does not exceed 35 cm. Within the Kuznetsk basin, the valley expands, a floodplain 2–3 km wide appears, the river acquires the features of a flat stream. From the city of Novokuznetsk to the city of Tomsk (515 km), the primary banks of the river are cliffs 100 m high. The river bed is incised with deposits of pebble material. Current velocities reach 3 m/s. Closer to Tomsk, the riverbed becomes wide-floodplain, with depths of 0.4–0.6 m on the riffles, and up to 10 m in the reaches. The average slope of the channel is 0.24‰. The channel is divided into numerous branches and floodplain channels.

Turbidity of water in the river. Tomy: average 174 g/m 3 , maximum 260 g/m 3 . Sediment runoff near the city of Tomsk: suspended - 3.4, movable - 0.43 million tons / year. According to the chemical composition, the waters of the rivers belong to the hydrocarbonate class and the calcium group, they are distinguished by low mineralization (100 mg/l and less). The waters of the river are polluted by industrial sewage.

The Tom River used to be navigable from the mouth to the city of Novokuznetsk, at present - from the mouth to the city of Tomsk. In the Tomsk region, gravel and pebble material is mined from the channel. This led to a drop in water levels by almost 2.5 m, degradation of floodplain landscapes, and exposure of a rocky threshold in the riverbed. Rock drawings found on the banks of the river (Tomskaya pisanitsa) ancient man; there are a large number of geological monuments of nature.

On the banks of the river are the cities of Mezhdurechensk, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo, Yurga, Tomsk, Seversk.

The Tom River is a river in Western Siberia, the right tributary of the Ob. flows through the territory of three subjects Russian Federation- Khakassia, Kemerovo and Tomsk regions. The length of the river is 827 km (according to some sources, 798 km). elevation difference from the source to the mouth - 1185 m. The source of the Tom is located on the territory of Khakassia, on the western slopes of the Abakan Range. For the most part, the Tom River flows through the Kemerovo region, being its main water artery. The mouth of the Tom is located on the territory of the Tomsk region, 45 km from the city of Tomsk. At the mouth, the river spills into several channels, forming Pushkarev Island with the Ob.

Geographical position of Tom

Source Tom

The source of the Tom River is located on the territory of the Republic of Khakassia. The river originates on the western slopes of the Abakan ridge (mountain range, part of the Western Sayan mountain system) in its northern part, almost at the junction with the Kuznetsk Alatau.
The Tom River has two sources. The source of the Left Tom is formed on Mount Karlygan ( maximum height- 1747 meters). Many streams flow into a small clean log on the southwestern slope of Karlygan, here they merge into a single stream, called the Left Tom.
The source of the Right Tom is the main and longest source of the Tom River. It is formed on Mount Kaskylakh (maximum height - 1440 meters). On the southern slope of Kaskylakh, at an altitude of 1200 meters, there is a swamp. From this swamp in a spruce-birch grove a stream comes to the surface, so the source of the Right Tom is born.
Flowing down the slopes of the Abakan Range, the Right and Left Tom, at about an altitude of 903 meters, merge into the Tom River. Also, many small rivers and streams flow into Tom, in the region of its sources, increasing its flow.

Tom in the lower reaches

Near the city of Novokuznetsk, one of its left tributaries, the Kondoma River (427 km), flows into the Tom. The upper course of the Tom is the distance from the source to the mouth of the Kondoma. On this segment, the length of the river is 267 kilometers.
AT upstream Tom, for 213 kilometers, passes through the mountainous regions of the Republic of Khakassia and the south of the Alatau-Shor Highlands of the Kemerovo Region. In this section, the course of the river has a mountainous character. The river valley is narrow and deeply incised, the height of the sides reaches 150-200 meters. The current speed is fast - up to 2.1 meters per second. The riverbed is replete with rapids and rocky rifts. The depth of the river on the riffles does not exceed 35 centimeters.
When crossing the border of the Republic of Khakassia and the Kemerovo region and further to the mouth of the Teba River, the width of the Tom is 50-100 meters, the depth is from 1 to 1.7 meters. The river valley remains narrow with steep sides, reaching a height of up to 1000 meters, there is no floodplain. The current speed is 2.8 meters per second.
From the mouth of the Teba to Novokuznetsk, the width of the channel increases to 120-300 meters, the width of the river valley reaches 1.5-2 kilometers. The current speed decreases to 1.5-2 meters per second.
After the confluence of the Tom with its two large tributaries, the rivers Usa (179 km) - the region of the city of Mezhdurechensk and Mrassu (350 km) - the region of the city of Myski, the river becomes wider and more full-flowing. The width of the channel is 200-400 meters, the speed of the current is 1m/s. The right bank of the river remains steep, the left becomes gentle.
From the mouth of the Mrassu River, the Tom crosses the border of the mountain ranges with the Kuznetsk Basin and acquires a more flat character of the flow, islands appear in the riverbed, and the speed of the flow decreases to -0.1 - 0.3 m / s on the reaches. Further, the Tom receives about a dozen smaller tributaries, after the confluence of the Kondoma River, it finally acquires the character of a flat river. From the mouth of the Kondoma to the city of Yurga - the middle course of the Tom.

The Tom River in the middle course

From the city of Novokuznetsk to the city of Tomsk - Tom, a typical flat river with a slow and unhurried course. Flowing through the Kemerovo region, the river collects the bulk of the region's catchment area.

The Tom River in the upper reaches

Starting from Tomsk, the river becomes wide floodplain, in some places its depth can reach 10 meters. After Tomsk, the river is often divided into branches and channels.

Mouth of the Tom. Where does Tom go?

The mouth of the Tom is located 45 kilometers from the city of Tomsk. Here the Tom River flows into the Ob River, being one of its main tributaries.

Tom river basin

The basin of the Tom River is part of the Republic of Khakassia, part Altai Territory and the Republic of Altai, not most of Novosibirsk and Tomsk regions, as well as most of the Kemerovo region. The main drainage basin of the Tom River is the south of the Kemerovo region, namely the mountains of Gornaya Shoria.

Scheme of the Tom River. The Tom River basin on the map:

Fauna and flora of the Tom River.

Animal world of Tom. Fish Tommy

See also: Stanovoy Ridge: general characteristics, tectonics and geology, relief, climate, sights.

The fauna of the Tom River is represented by a fairly large variety of fish. Once upon a time, up to 29 species of fish were found here, but due to climate change and economic activity man, the riverbed became much shallower. Another huge problem was the pollution of Tom. All this together served to reduce the fish stocks of the river. However, in recent times there is a significant improvement environmental situation. Waste dumping has virtually ceased, gravel mining has been reduced and shipping has been virtually suspended. Polluted by the effluents of industrial enterprises, the Tom River is gradually being cleared and such fish species as grayling, lenok, taimen, sturgeon, peled, sterlet, some of which are in the Red Book, are returning to its waters.

However, it is worth noting that many of them have not restored their former population, therefore they are under protection. But do not despair, as perch, pike, crucian carp, pike perch, ide, chebak, minnow, burbot, loach, whitefish, dace are also found here. Fishing in the waters of the Tom River will never be boring for spinners, fly fishers and floaters. Nobody leaves without a catch. You just need to find the right place to fish. Experienced fishermen say that the most suitable places are where its tributaries flow into the river.

Flora on the coastal territory of Tom
Along the bed of the Tom River, you can find many unique and incredibly beautiful places: here is the taiga, and rocky shores, confluences with smaller rivers. Due to the diversity of the relief and climate, the banks of the Tom River are distinguished by the diversity of the soil cover. In turn, this could not but affect the diversity flora this area. Plants characteristic of such plants grow on the mountain peaks near Tom. natural areas, like tundra and alpine meadow, and lowlands and middle mountains are filled with fir-aspen forests. Foothills and intermountain basins are represented by vegetation of steppes and forest-steppes. All forests where the Tom River flows can be divided into two types: coniferous and deciduous. Main forest-forming species coniferous forest- pine, spruce, cedar, fir. Dark coniferous forests are usually called the black taiga because of the dark color of the needles that the trees have. As for deciduous trees, willow, linden, mountain ash, aspen and birch predominate here. Herbs are typical for the southern forest-steppe: wormwood, fescue, feather grass, sainfoin, thin-legged, wormwood. As a rule, they grow in ravines and wastelands. In addition, in the forest-steppes and forests near the coastal territory of Tom, growing a large number of fruit and berry bushes and mushrooms.

Hydroposts on the Tom River.

The gauging stations on the Tom River are located in the cities of Tomsk, Yurga, Kemerovo, Novokuznetsk, Mezhdurechensk, and the town of Krapivino.

Tom's current speed.

The flow velocity of the Tom varies from 0.3 m/s to 3 m/s. In the upper reaches of the Tom, the current velocity can reach 3 m/s, in the Novokuznetsk region 0.5 m/s, in the Tomsk region 0.3 m/s. The average flow velocity is considered to be 0.33 m/s.

Bridge crossings on the Tom River

Railway bridges

Two railway bridges on the Trans-Siberian Railway near the city of Yurga.

Railway bridge in Kemerovo

Polosukhinsky bridge - bypassing the city of Novokuznetsk

Railway bridge near Novokuznetsk-Severny station

Chebolsinsky bridge in Mezhdurechensk

Tomusinsky bridge in Novokuznetsk

Road bridges

Seversky bridge. Located on the border of the cities of Seversk and Tomsk.
Communal bridge. Located in the Kirovsky district of Tomsk.

Kuznetsky bridge in Kemerovo.
Kuzbass bridge in Kemerovo.

An unfinished bridge over the dam of the unfinished Krapivinskaya hydroelectric power station near the village of Zelenogorsky

Ilyinsky Bridge - connects the Ilyinsky and Zavodskoy districts of Novokuznetsk.

Kuznetsk bridge - connects the Central and Kuznetsk districts of Novokuznetsk

Baidayevsky bridge - the southern entrance to Novokuznetsk. Connects Novokuznetsk with the cities of Myski and Mezhdurechensk.

Zapsibovsky bridge - connects the Central and Zavodskoy districts of Novokuznetsk

Ferry crossings

Ferry near the village of Zelenogorsky.

Ferry in the village of Saltymakovo.

Ferry between the city of Yurga and the village of Polomoshnoye.

Pontoon bridge

The pontoon bridge in Yurga is the longest pontoon bridge in Russia. Length 720 meters.

Sights on the Tom River

Anna's stone.

A small cliff on the Tom River, located in the Tomsk region, 6 kilometers from the border with the Kemerovo region. It is a natural monument of regional significance. It represents the outcrop of bedrock to the surface. Read more about Anikin's stone here.

Stone Fighter.

Protruding stone cape on the Tom River. It is located in the Tomsk region near the village of Yarskoye, Tomsk region. Natural monument of regional significance. It is a stone cape protruding 3 meters above the water. You can read more about the Fighter Stone here.

Stone Sadat.

A large rock formation on the banks of the Tom in the Tisulsky district of the Kemerovo region. You can read more about the Sadat Stone here.

Blue Rock.

Rock formation of a blue tint on the banks of the Tom. Located in the Tomsk region near the village of Kolarovo. Natural monument of regional significance. It is an outcrop of bedrock 3 km long. When viewed from afar, the cliff appears bluish-blue.

See also: 8 places in the Altai Mountains, where every tourist should visit

Camp Garden

Park in the city of Tomsk on the steep high bank of the Tom. The park offers a stunning panoramic view of the Tom floodplain.

Ob-Tomsk interfluve.

A region in Siberia located between Tom and Ob. Lies on the territory of Tomsk, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions. There are three natural reserves on the territory of the interfluve.

Tutal rocks.

A picturesque outcrop of rocks on the banks of the Tom in the Yashkinsky district of the Kemerovo region. On some rocks you can see ancient writings. Read more about the Tutala rocks here.

Tomsk writing.

Museum-reserve on the banks of the Tom, which includes ancient drawings carved on rock formations on the very bank of the river. Located in the Yashkinsky district of the Kemerovo region.

Cities and towns on the Tom River

Cities on the Tom River

Mezhdurechensk, Myski, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo, Yurga, Tomsk, Seversk.

Villages and settlements on the Tom River

Teba, Maizas, Borodino, Atamanovo, Aspen Pleso, Saltymakovo, Zelenogorsky, Krapivinsky, Sheveli, Berezovo, Kolmogorovo, Pacha, Novoromanovo, Mokhovo, Zeledeevo, Kurlek, Moryakovsky Zaton, Samus, Orlovka

Major tributaries of the Tom

Kondoma, Mrassu, Mustache, Lower Ters, Middle Ters, Upper Ters. Taidon, Terensug, Strelina, Iskitim, Belsu, Lebyazhya, Basandaika, Ushaika, Tutuyas, Aba.

Rest on Tom in sanatoriums and recreation centers

There are a large number of tourist centers and rest houses along the Tom River.

Tourist complex "Vostok". Located near the city of Mezhdurechensk, on the banks of the Tom. Accommodation in comfortable rooms with private facilities. Offers vacationers active recreation, tennis courts, volleyball and football grounds are located on the territory. There is a SPA-salon and a restaurant on the territory.

Recreation center "Pritomye". Located near the city of Kemerovo, on the banks of the Tom River. It offers guests rooms with private facilities located in the main building, as well as accommodation in comfortable all-season houses. On the territory there are sports grounds, a bathhouse, a sauna, a restaurant. There is a rental of sports equipment.

Recreation center "Elykaevskaya Sloboda". Located near the city of Kemerovo in pine forest, on the banks of the Tom. Offers guests accommodation in houses with all amenities. On the territory there is a mini-zoo, a sauna, a playground, sports equipment rental.

Center active rest"Space". Located near Kemerovo, on the banks of the Tom. It offers guests rooms of varying degrees of comfort. On the territory there is a sauna, a paintball field, a sports field.

Eco-camping "Round House". It is located 30 kilometers from Kemerovo, next to the museum-reserve "Tomskaya Pisanitsa", on the banks of the Tom. It offers vacationers accommodation in real yurts. On the territory there is a bathhouse, gazebos, a summer kitchen, a playground.

Cottage complex "Shirli-myrli". Located near the city of Tomsk in a pine forest, on the banks of the Tom. Accommodation in wooden cottages with all amenities. On the territory there are gazebos with barbecue facilities, a sauna, a swimming pool, billiards, table tennis.

Rest on Tom savage

On the Tom River you can find a large number good places for the rest of the savage. The left bank of the Tom from Mezhdurechensk to Novokuznetsk is especially popular with vacationers from the south of Kuzbass. AT summer period there are a lot of vacationers here. Those who like to spend several days in a tent on the river bank are located from the village of Atamanovo to Myski. Those who like to come to the river for one day have chosen the banks of the Tom River near Novokuznetsk and Mezhdurechensk.

Beaches on Tom

The beaches on the Tom are mainly located in the cities located on this river.

Beaches of Tomsk

In the area of ​​the city of Tomsk and its environs on Tom, you can visit the following beaches: city beach Semeikin Island, beach in the Lagerny Garden, Blue Rock beach, Surovsky beach, Second Surovsky beach

Beaches of Kemerovo

There are several beaches within the city of Kemerovo and its environs on the coastline of Tom: the beach at the boat station, the beach in the village of Zhuravlevo, the Chaika beach, the Pritomskaya recreation area, and the Berendey beach.

The beaches of Novokuznetsk

In Novokuznetsk on Tom there are two beaches: Levoberezhny beach and Student beach.

Economic use of the Tom River.

The Tom, as a tributary of the Ob, plays an important economic role in its regions. The river is used as a drinking, fishery and sanitary reservoir.
If we consider the first point of the economic use of Tom, then we can safely say that the composition of water in terms of its biological and chemical properties extremely close to the most unique sources fresh water. River water has no foreign tastes and smells, as well as coloring. Thus, Tom is a large, and most importantly, clean source of water supply in several regions of Russia.
The Dragoon water intake of the Tom River is also of great economic importance. Located near the village of Atamanovo, it is actively used by the Novokuznetsk water utility.
Regarding the fishery, the river is also the breadwinner of the Tomsk and Kemerovo regions. Large-sized bream, carp, pike, perch, pike perch are found in Tom and its water intakes.
Over the past five years, the level of processing of fish products has increased by 2.5 times, the volume of fish caught by 7.5 times, and the number of fish farms by as much as 10 times, which indicates the intensive development of this industry.
In addition, Tom has prospects for fishing and hunting tourism, which entails the construction of appropriate infrastructure. This, in the end, will also bring considerable profit to the regions.
In the middle of the 20th century, it was proposed to unite the channels of two rivers: the Ob and Tom, to create a navigable canal. This channel was supposed to become a short transport route for ships following the Novosibirsk-Tomsk route. By the way, navigation on the river also plays an important role in the economic life of the Tomsk region. Previously, navigation on the river was open from the mouth to Novokuznetsk, and now to Tomsk.
The mining industry also reached Tom. A sand and gravel mixture is being mined from a channel near the regional center of the Tomsk region, even though this has lowered the water level by more than 2 meters and exposed a rocky threshold in the channel.
Great amount enterprises located in the Tom basin use the energy resources of the river for personal purposes, often pouring production waste into the reservoir. For example, industrial Kuzbass.
The Tom River was supposed to become one of the suppliers of electricity in the Kemerovo region, sheltering the Krapivinskaya hydroelectric power station on its shore, but this project was frozen in 1989, with no prospects for resuming construction.

In the upper reaches, before the confluence of the Mras-su tributaries, the Tom behaves as a typical mountain river. Often there are rapids and mountain rifts. The banks of the river here are rocky, overgrown with taiga forest. Passing through the Kuznetsk Basin, the river calms down a bit, access to the banks becomes more accessible. In the lower reaches, the Tom turns into a typically flat river, and slowly carrying its waters flows into the Ob.

River length: 827 km

Watershed area: 62,030 km. sq.

Average water flow at the mouth: 1110 m3/s. The annual runoff is 35.0 km3/year

Tom originates on the western slopes of the Abakan Range, in the Khakas Autonomous Region Krasnoyarsk Territory. It flows mainly through the territory of the Kemerovo region. It flows into the Ob in the Tomsk region.

Map:

River mode

Food: the river has a mixed supply. 25-40% is not precipitation, 35-55% is melted snow and 25-35% is groundwater.

Freezing: Freezing on the river lasts from the beginning of November to the end of April.

The regime of the river is characterized by spring floods (from April to June). Fluctuations in the water level during the flood period can reach 8 meters. The minimum water level in the river is observed from December to March. The speed of the river in the flat areas is on average 0.4 m/sec., on the riffles it increases to 1.75 m/sec.

Main tributaries: About 115 tributaries flow into the Tom. The main ones are: Mras-Su, Usa, Kondoma, Lower Ters, Middle Ters, Upper Ters, Taidon, Unga.

The following cities are located on Tom: Mezhdurechensk, Novokuznetsk, Krapivinsky, Kemerovo, Yurga, Tomsk, Seversk.

Interesting Facts:

1) Various projects for the economic use of the river were proposed, but many of them remained on paper or not completed. For example, at the end of the 1960s, they wanted to connect Tom with the Ob by a shipping canal. You may ask: "Why, after all, Tom flows into the Ob anyway?" According to the plans of the creators of the project, the construction of the canal was supposed to shorten the path between the cities of Tomsk and Novosibirsk by several tens of kilometers. In addition, Tomsk was able to get purer water from the Ob. In 1975, the construction of a less extravagant structure began - the Krapivinskaya hydroelectric power station near the village of Zelenogorsky. But in 1989, construction was frozen.

2) At 45 km. from Kemerovo there is a museum-reserve "Tomskaya pisanitsa". Its main attraction is a huge sheer cliff with ancient drawings of primitive people. The age of petroglyphs, or as they are called here "pisanits", is approximately equal to six thousand years. There are about 300 such petroglyphs on the rock.

Photo: sheer cliff on the river bank.

Video, rafting on the Tom River:

Video slideshow, a trip from Novokuznetsk to Zelenogorsk along the river.

And finally. Amateur video: "Tom started off, spring ice drift."