One of the richest countries with water resources has more than 20% of the world's fresh surface and groundwater resources. The average long-term resources of the country are 4270 km3 / year (10% of the world river flow), or 30 thousand m3 / year (78 m3 / day) per inhabitant (second place in the world after). The projected operational reserves of groundwater are over 360 m3 per year. Having such significant water resources and using no more than 3% of river runoff, Russia in a number of regions is experiencing an acute water shortage due to their uneven distribution over the territory (8% of resources are in the European part of Russia, where 80% of industry and population are concentrated), and also low water quality.

In quantitative terms, Russia's water resources are composed of static (secular) and renewable reserves. The former are considered unchanging and constant for a long time; renewable water resources are estimated by the volume of annual river flow.
The territory of Russia is washed by the waters of 13 seas. The total area of ​​the sea water area falling under the jurisdiction of Russia is about 7 million km2. At the same time, 60% of the total river runoff enters the marginal seas.

River flow resources. Of the surface waters in the socio-economic development of the country, the priority belongs to the river runoff. The volume of local river runoff on the territory of Russia averages 4043 km3 / year (second in the world after), which is 237 thousand m3 / year per 1 km2 of the territory and 27-28 thousand m3 / year per inhabitant. Runoff from adjacent territories is 227 km3 / year.

Water reserves in lakes

The water of the lakes is referred to as static reserves due to the slowed down water exchange. By the nature of interaction with rivers, there are flowing and endless lakes. The former are predominantly distributed in the humid zone, the latter in the arid zone, where evaporation from the water surface is much higher than the amount of precipitates.

There are more than 2.7 million fresh and salt lakes in Russia. The main part of fresh water resources is concentrated in large lakes: Ladoga, Chudskoye, Pskovskoye and others. In total, the 12 largest lakes contain over 24.3 thousand km3 of fresh water. More than 90% of the lakes are shallow water bodies, the static water reserves of which are estimated at 2.2–2.4 thousand km3, and thus the total water reserves in the lakes of Russia reach (excluding the Caspian Sea) 26.5–26, 7 thousand km3. - the largest in terms of area, closed brackish, having international status.

Swamps and wetlands occupy at least 8% of the territory of Russia. Swamp areas are mainly located in the northwest and north of the European part of the country, as well as in the northern regions. Their areas range from several hectares to tens of square kilometers. Swamps occupy about 1.4 million km2 and accumulate huge ones. In concentrated about 3000 km3 of static reserves of natural waters. In the feeding of swamps, runoff from the area and atmospheric precipitation, falling directly onto the swampy territory, participate. The total average long-term volume of the incoming component is estimated at 1500 km3; about 1000 km3 / year is spent on runoff feeding rivers, lakes, underground (natural resources), and 500 km3 / year - on evaporation from the water surface and transpiration of plants.

The bulk of glaciers and snowfields are concentrated on islands and in mountainous areas. The largest in area are located in the northern and northeastern parts of Siberia. Arctic glaciers cover an area of ​​approximately 55 thousand km2.

The hydrological role of glaciers is to redistribute precipitation runoff within a year and smooth out fluctuations in the annual water content of rivers. Glaciers and snowfields of mountainous regions, which determine the water content of mountain rivers, are of particular interest for water management practice in Russia.

Russia possesses significant hydropower resources. However, their use, especially in flat areas, is often associated with negative environmental impact: flooding, loss of valuable agricultural land, banks, damage to, etc.

If you become the owner of your land, on which you intend to build a house, grow various garden and vegetable crops, then you just know some information about your personal plot. You should have such knowledge about your land, such as a map of the distribution of the main types of soil, the thickness of the fertile layer, the depth of soil freezing in your area, data on the prevailing wind rose, and much more. All of this information will be very helpful to you. You will be able to use the resources of the site as efficiently as possible at the lowest cost.

Figure 1. Scheme of groundwater occurrence.

Such information can really save you from many problems. For example, having recognized the dominant wind rose in your area, you can take this factor into account and erect buildings in such a way as to protect some of them from the effects of the wind, as a banal example you can point to the construction of a brick barbecue. This structure is durable, unlike its metal counterpart, so you can't just transfer it. If the dominant winds were not taken into account during the construction, then it will constantly smoke the house and yard.

But even more important information is data showing the level of groundwater in your area.

The importance of knowledge

A map of the groundwater level of your area, or better even specifically of your site, is an extremely important document for any landowner. With this knowledge, you can confidently plan the construction of a house or future planting of garden and horticultural crops. Only knowing exactly the depth of the groundwater can you choose the right type and depth of the foundation for the house, because the slightest errors in calculations can lead to deformation of the base and even destruction of the whole house, which will entail not only material losses, but also a risk to the lives of those living in home of people.

Underground water supplies are also important for plants. Aquifers that run too deep will not be able to nourish the soil and give life to plants, but too close located water will not bring joy either. If the roots are in the water for a long time, then they "suffocate" and the plant may die. Trees are especially sensitive to this, the depth of the roots of which is much deeper than that of shrubs and garden plants.

Already these 2 factors are quite sufficient to understand how important it is to know the hydrological situation in your area.

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Groundwater map

Where can you get a map of the location of groundwater on your site and how to find out at what depth the aquifers pass? There are 2 ways to do this. The easiest and most sensible is to contact the appropriate authority in your city or area. It can be a committee on land management, an architectural committee, hydraulic exploration, and so on, in different areas different organizations may have.

But there are situations when there is no such card or it does not suit you for some reason. In this case, you will have to do your own research. For this, there are many, both strictly scientific and folk ways of studying. Using some of them or combining with each other, you can quickly and accurately determine the depth at which they lie on your site.

Here it is also worth noting such an important point as the type of groundwater. The fact is that there are 3 types of them. Each of them has its own characteristics and requires different efforts for its operation.

1. Unconfined ground water is the moisture that falls out with various precipitation and permeates the topsoil. Water from natural reservoirs can also get here. To use this type of water resources, it is enough to build a simple well.
2. Groundwater pressurized water is a little more difficult to use, since it occurs at great depths and is a water lens located between 2 waterproof layers (usually clay). Water enters these underground reservoirs from vast areas and can have a volume measured in cubic kilometers and is usually under high pressure. To use this resource, it is necessary to drill a deep well.
3. Verkhovodka. This is all the water that has accumulated in the upper soil layer after precipitation. It practically does not accumulate, and its volume is directly dependent on the level of precipitation.

An approximate layout of all 3 types of groundwater can be seen in Fig. 1.

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Technical methods of reconnaissance

The simplest technical intelligence in your case might look like this. If neighbors live next to you and they already have wells or wells, then do not be too lazy to visit them and ask them to look at the water level in these devices. The more wells you can check, the more accurate the picture of the groundwater occurrence will appear before you. Look at the terrain, if it is flat, then, most likely, on your site the level of aquifers is at the same depth as that of the neighbors. If the terrain is replete with elevation differences, then this will complicate an accurate analysis of the hydrological situation. But in any case, this information will help you at least roughly orient yourself in this matter.

After that, it is worth starting direct exploration of the aquifers and conducting several test drilling at the site using a thin drill. If you stumbled upon an aquifer at a depth that suits you, then all the search work can be completed at this point and a full-fledged well can be drilled. And if it was not possible to find, then it is necessary to drill several more wells in other places.

Before starting work, it is very important to take into account the features of the relief of your site. For example, on a flat surface, it is easier to find water at the same level as neighbors. Whereas in the lowlands, groundwater tends to come closer to the surface of the earth than in the hills. And if there is a ravine or a stream in the neighborhood or on the site itself, then the well can only be dug on its slope, since there will be no water in other places, it has already found a way out and does not accumulate in thick layers.

As you can see, care is needed even when searching for aquifers technically. But a trained eye is especially important when searching for water using folk methods.

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Folk omens

It is possible, using modern technology, to drill several wells on the site and thus quickly find out if there is water and at what depth it is. But it is not always possible to use a drilling rig, and even if it is available, you can significantly save time and resources by conducting a preliminary study of the site using folk methods. It is they who will help to reduce to a minimum the places where the aquifer can lie close. So let's take a look at them.

The groundwater level has a significant impact on vegetation. If it comes close enough, then this can be noted both in the condition of the plants themselves and in their species diversity. This is especially noticeable in the dry period, when such an island of fresh greenery resembles an oasis in its freshness and brightness. If there is enough moisture for the plants, then they have a richer color and grow thicker. Such places are loved by: sedge, reeds, horsetails, sorrel, coltsfoot and some other plants. If you have a place on the site where such plants prefer to grow and they have a juicy and bright color, then you can be sure that the water is close.

Observation will help you find such a place in other ways. For example, in summer, at dusk, in a humid place, you can notice a slight misty haze, when moisture from the air settles in a cooler place. This means that here, too, the water is close to the surface.

You can take a closer look at the behavior of animals, they can also tell you where to look for water. For example, it is common knowledge that a cat prefers to rest where it is cool and humid. She will choose such a place on earth. While the dog, on the contrary, will avoid such a place.

By carefully observing the behavior of your pets, you can learn a lot about your site. Even the behavior of mosquitoes depends on the presence of water. A mosquito swarm in the evenings hovers over the place where the water rises close.

Water close to the surface has a depressing effect on plants, especially trees suffer from it, the roots of which may die. In the same way, water affects animals, no one likes it when their housing is flooded with water, so in those places where groundwater runs close to the surface, you cannot find mouse minks or colonies of red ants.

Water resources by countries of the world (km 3 / year)

Most of the water resources per capita are found in French Guiana (609,091 m 3), Iceland (539 638 m 3), Guyana (315 858 m 3), Suriname (236 893 m 3), Congo (230 125 m 3), Papua New Guinea (121 788 m 3), Gabon (113 260 m 3), Bhutan (113 157 m 3), Canada (87 255 m 3), Norway (80 134 m 3), New Zealand (77.305 m 3), Peru (66 338 m 3), Bolivia (64 215 m 3), Liberia (61 165 m 3), Chile (54 868 m 3), Paraguay (53 863 m 3), Laos (53 747 m 3), Colombia ( 47 365 m 3), Venezuela (43 846 m 3), Panama (43 502 m 3), Brazil (42 866 m 3), Uruguay (41 505 m 3), Nicaragua (34 710 m 3), Fiji (33 827 m 3), Central African Republic (33 280 m 3), Russia (31 833 m 3).
The least water resources per capita are in Kuwait (6.85 m 3). United Arab Emirates(33.44 m 3), Qatar (45.28 m 3), the Bahamas (59.17 m 3), Oman (91.63 m 3), Saudi Arabia (95.23 m 3), Libya (95 , 32 m 3).
On average, on Earth, each person has 24 646 m 3 (24 650 000 liters) of water per year.

The next card is even more interesting.

The share of transboundary runoff in the total annual runoff of rivers of the countries of the world (in%)
Few countries in the world, rich in water resources, can boast that they have "at their disposal" river basins that are not separated by territorial boundaries. Why is it so important? Take, for example, the largest tributary of the Ob - the Irtysh. () ... The source of the Irtysh is located on the border of Mongolia and China, then the river for more than 500 km flows through the territory of China, crosses the state border and flows about 1,800 km through the territory of Kazakhstan, then the Irtysh flows about 2,000 km through the territory of Russia until it flows into the Ob. According to international agreements, China can take half of the annual flow of the Irtysh for its own needs, Kazakhstan half of what will remain after China. As a result, this can greatly affect the high flow of the Russian section of the Irtysh (including hydropower resources). At present, China annually Russia 2 billion km 3 of water. Therefore, the water availability of each country in the future may depend on whether the sources of rivers or sections of their channels are outside the country. Let's see how things are with strategic “water independence” in the world.

The map presented to your attention above illustrates the percentage of the volume of renewable water resources entering the country from the territory of neighboring states, of the total volume of water resources of the country. (A country with a value of 0% does not "receive" water resources at all from the territories of neighboring countries; 100% - all water resources come from outside the state).

The map shows that the following states are most dependent on the "supply" of water from the territory of neighboring countries: Kuwait (100%), Turkmenistan (97.1%), Egypt (96.9%), Mauritania (96.5%) , Hungary (94.2%), Moldova (91.4%), Bangladesh (91.3%), Niger (89.6%), Netherlands (87.9%).

In the post-Soviet space, the situation is as follows: Turkmenistan (97.1%), Moldova (91.4%), Uzbekistan (77.4%), Azerbaijan (76.6%), Ukraine (62%), Latvia (52, 8%), Belarus (35.9%), Lithuania (37.5%), Kazakhstan (31.2%), Tajikistan (16.7%) Armenia (11.7%), Georgia (8.2%) , Russia (4.3%), Estonia (0.8%), Kyrgyzstan (0%).

Now let's try to do some calculations, but first let's make ranking of countries by water resources:

1. Brazil (8 233 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 34.2%)
2.Russia (4,508 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 4.3%)
3. USA (3 051 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 8.2%)
4. Canada (2 902 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 1.8%)
5.Indonesia (2 838 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 0%)
6.China (2 830 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 0.6%)
7. Colombia (2,132 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 0.9%)
8. Peru (1 913 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 15.5%)
9. India (1 880 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 33.4%)
10. Congo (1 283 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 29.9%)
11. Venezuela (1 233 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 41.4%)
12. Bangladesh (1 211 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 91.3%)
13. Burma (1,046 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 15.8%)

Now, based on these data, we will draw up our rating of the countries whose water resources are least dependent on the potential reduction in transboundary flow caused by water abstraction by upstream countries.

1. Brazil (5,417 km 3)
2.Russia (4314 km 3)
3. Canada (2 850 km 3)
4. Indonesia (2,838 km 3)
5.China (2 813 km 3)
6. USA (2 801 km 3)
7. Colombia (2,113 km 3)
8. Peru (1,617 km 3)
9.India (1,252 km3)
10. Burma (881 km 3)
11. Congo (834 km 3)
12. Venice (723 km 3)
13. Bangladesh (105 km 3)

For each continent, these maps were compiled by combining runoff, evaporation and evaporation maps. The moisture deficit in the territory of a particular catchment y = D (or, taking into account equation (3.1), D = r- * (mm / year) is an indicator of the water resources deficit of the territory. It shows that it is impossible to eliminate the moisture deficit in the soil even if if the entire runoff is spent on such a moistening of the catchment surface, at which evaporation from it would reach the value of evaporation.

On the contrary, the difference y- (z 0 -z) = U or U = NS - th (mm / year) is an indicator excess water resources of the territory. According to the calculated values ​​of I or D at each node of the working coordinate grid, isolines of excess and deficit of water resources in different regions of the continents were drawn on the map (Fig. 3.6).

It is generally accepted that the most favorable for agriculture water supply of the territory in the range of values ​​of excess-deficit of water resources from I, equal to +200, to D, equal to -200 mm / year. The rest of the areas for sustainable agriculture require irrigation or drainage reclamation. But even in areas with favorable average water supply conditions for a long-term period, bilateral amelioration (irrigation and drainage systems) is also recognized as expedient to ensure equally high yields of cultivated crops both in high-water and low-water years.

From the analysis of the methodology for drawing up maps of the Atlas of the BIV it follows:

1. This atlas is currently the most widely available and reliable source of hydrological information.

Rice. 3.6. Fragment of the map "Excess and deficit of river water resources" | 17, sheet 30]: / - excess, mm / year; 2- deficit, mm / year on the spatial diversity of the structure of the water balance of the continents and its intra-annual changes in different land areas.

• 2. The main map of the atlas should be considered a map of atmospheric precipitation, because, firstly, to construct the bend field, a much larger number of observation points were used for a longer (80-year) calculation period compared to maps of other characteristics, and secondly, in it, the information is used to calculate evaporation, runoff coefficient and runoff from 55% of the land area, where the hydrometric network is still underdeveloped. Therefore, the “mutual independence of atlas maps” is relative, since instrumental errors in precipitation accounting could have an impact on the values ​​of other charted characteristics.
• 3. The runoff maps in the atlas characterize its “norm” according to observational data in the 30s-60s of the XX century, when the anthropogenic influence on the runoff as a whole was significantly less than the modern one. Then the world population was approximately half as much, the urban population was 10 times less (hence, the area of ​​urbanized territories was smaller), the number of reservoirs was 1.5, and their total volume was almost 2 times smaller. Therefore, when using maps of the Atlas of the BIM, it is important to assess the possible water management transformation of river flow in its centers under the influence of water supply and sewerage systems of large cities or its regulation by large reservoirs and their cascades.

After the publication of the Atlas of the BIM, 10 years later, "Maps of the elements of water balance for the territory of Central and Eastern Europe" (1984) were published on a scale of 1: 5,000,000. They were compiled using the "Climate Atlas of Europe" published by UNESCO and WMO in 1975 d. This set of water balance maps includes the following maps:

• precipitation;
• evaporation from the surface of catchments;
• surface runoff;
• underground runoff into rivers.

The stock ranks are given to the same 30-year period (1931-1960) as in the BWM Atlas. In this case, the data on the runoff in the sections closing the catchments with an area of ​​not more than 1000 km 2 for zonal foreign rivers and an area of ​​not more than 20 thousand km 2 for zonal rivers of the ETS were used.

This set of larger-scale hydrological maps published in Budapest can be used to improve the reliability of the assessment of the components of the water balance of river systems located in Russia, in Eastern and Central Europe.