Scientists Hopeful About Don River Water Supply in New Year

In Rostov Oblast, the flow of the Don River in 2026 may be about half of the normal level, according to scientists from the Azov Scientific Research Institute of Fisheries (AzNIIRKh). This is good news given that in 2025 the flow was one of the lowest in the last 80 years.

According to AzNIIRKh, at the beginning of this year, significant snow accumulation was recorded in the upper and middle parts of the Don basin. And since January 19, the river near Rostov has been completely covered with ice.

“This gives hope for the expectation that the Don River«s flow will form at a level at least close to 50% availability,” say AzNIIRKh.

In 2025, the spring flow of the Don River was 4.37 cubic kilometers below the average value established for 1952–2025. The annual flow was more than 10 cubic kilometers lower.

According to meteorological services, at the Razdorskaya stanitsa (Cossack village) section, such a low flow of the Don was recorded only in 1972 and 2020.

The Tsimlyansk Reservoir, whose releases determine the Don«s water level, was poorly filled last year. The inflow into the reservoir was slightly more than 10 cubic kilometers, or 60% of the norm. The inflow of water into the reservoir during the spring flood period was also the lowest in the last 80 years.

The maximum depth of the Tsimlyansk Sea in 2025 was 34.08 meters (112 feet). This is two meters below the normal retention level (36 meters, or 118 feet). As a result, water releases into the Don last year were minimal, not exceeding 250 cubic meters per second. For normal navigation on the river, it should be 410 cubic meters per second.

As reported by 161.RU, the problem with navigation restrictions on the Don due to low water should be solved by the Bagayevsky Hydraulic Unit. It will allow abandoning navigational water releases from the Tsimlyansk Reservoir, leaving only the minimally necessary sanitary releases. This is 230 cubic meters per second.

However, scientists say that such a solution to the problem may negatively affect the ecology. Among other things, it aggravates the situation with the salinization of the Azov Sea and the Don delta.