Chomutovka

The Chomutovka is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Ohře River. It flows through the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is 50.4 km long.

Etymology
The river is named after the city of Chomutov.

Characteristic
The Chomutovka originates in the municipal territory of Hora Svatého Šebestiána in the Ore Mountains at the elevation of 863 m and flows to Postoloprty, where it enters the Ohře River at the elevation of 181 m. It is 50.4 km long. Its drainage basin has an area of 185.7 km2.

Chomutovka does not have many tributaries and none is significant. The longest of them is Hačka, a 14.3 km long right tributary of the Chomutovka.

Bodies of water
There are 141 bodies of water in the basin area. There are two small reservoirs in the area of the upper course, but the largest water bodies are around the middle course near Chomutov. Novoveský pond, a small fishpond near the Chomutovka's spring, is the only body of water built directly on the river.

Course
The most notable settlement on the river is the city of Chomutov. The river flows through the municipal territories of Hora Svatého Šebestiána, Blatno, Křimov, Chomutov, Údlice, Nezabylice, Bílence, Velemyšleves and Postoloprty.

A 3-metre-high waterfall is located near Hora Svatého Šebestiána. It is a tourist destination to which a marked path leads. About 1.5 km further down the flow there is a second waterfall with a height of 2 m.

Before it reaches Chomutov, the river flows through the mountainous landscape of the Ore Mountains. Starting with Chomutov, it flows through a flat and predominantly agricultural landscape of the Most Basin. The slope of the terrain here is approx. 0.3–0.5%.

Floods
There is an increased risk of flooding in the section between 23.0 and 31.8 river km, which includes the city of Chomutov and the village of Údlice.

Protection of nature
A large area of 1881.8 ha in the spring area of the Chomutovka is protected as Prameniště Chomutovky Nature Reserve. The subject of protection are marshes and bogs, forest cover typical of these biotopes, and the occurrence of rare species of plants and animals.

Another part of the upper course (before it reaches Chomutov) flows through a valley that is protected as Bezručovo údolí Nature Monument. It has an area of 952.7 ha. The subject of protection is, among other, the occurrence of butterfly species dusky large blue and scarce large blue.