About the Ohře

The territory under the administration of Povodí Ohře Chomutov has an area of above 10 thousand km². The elongated shape of northwestern Bohemia is divided by the Elbe into eastern and western part. The natural axis of the western part is the Ohře and its counterpart on the east is the Ploučnice. The Ohře has its spring in Bavaria beneath Mount Schneeberg and joins the Elbe at Litoměřice. In the Czech territory its total length is 256 km and drainage area 5,614 km². It has to squeeze its way between the Ore Mountains on the left and the Slavkovský les Mts. and Doupovské Hills on the right on its upper and middle course. The Ohře's flow rates vary within a wide range and the changes set in quickly and abruptly. At each increase in flow rates the river displaces large amounts of bed load and floating debris. On its lower course (about 100 km) the Ohře passes the distant Central Bohemian Uplands on its left side to enter the fertile flat landscape extending from Žatec down to the confluence with the Elbe at Litoměřice. From time immemorial this area has been afflicted by floods and even today there are many segments of the river's channel not deep and wide enough to carry an annual flood; however, these segments are overgrown with the original riverine forests and riparian stands of a high environmental value which need periodic flooding.

The Elbe (Labe in Czech), as a waterway, is controlled by the Povodí Labe Company; however, its tributaries on both of its sides from Mělník to the German border (at Hřensko) are controlled by our Company. Downstream from the confluence with the Ohře, the Elbe enters one of the most beautiful landscapes of the Czech Republic, called Porta Bohemica. In this area the steep slopes of the Central Bohemian Uplands line the river up to the Střekov Castle at Ústí nad Labem. This is where another important river of Northern Bohemia, the Bílina, joins the Elbe. The Bílina is the third longest of our Company's rivers: its length is 83.6 km and its drainage area is 1072 km².

Děčín, located north of Ústí nad Labem, is another important point in the river network. At Děčín, the Jílovský brook joins the Elbe from the left side and the Ploučnice river on the right. Many disastrous floods have been recorded on the Jílovský brook since the Middle Ages. A recent hypothesis says that the frequent floods are related with the prevailing northwestern winds which, trapped in the corridor of the Ore Mts. and the Central Bohemian Uplands, gather in the area of the Děčín Walls. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that the majority of the floods occur during the period of the formation of storm clouds in the area (July and August). The Ploučnice, 102 km in length, is the second largest river administered by our Company. Its drainage area is 1193 km², which represents a prevailing part of the territory under our Company's control; the natural centre of the region is Česká Lípa. The Česká Lípa and Děčín regions have numerous interesting natural features and many sites with original historical architecture; their landscape is fine and valuable, especially in the Lužické Mts. and in the area of the Šluknov strip.

Basic information about drainage area

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