Bečva

Characteristic

From a water management perspective, the Bečva and Vsetínská Bečva are treated as separate rivers with distinct river kilometre numbering. In a broader sense, the Bečva (as Vsetínská Bečva) rises in Velké Karlovice within the Hostýn-Vsetín Mountains at 896 m and ends at Tovačov, where it meets the Morava at 195 m. The name Bečva applies from the junction of the Vsetínská Bečva and Rožnovská Bečva at Valašské Meziříčí; from there to the Morava the river runs 61.6 km.

Fauna

Fish species in the river include barbel, nase, European chub, trout, pike, sander and perch. After an ecological disaster on 20 September 2020, when chemicals entered the water by unknown means, fish numbers dropped sharply; about 40 tons of dead fish were recovered, though actual losses may have been greater. The lack of dams supports high biodiversity, with dozens of endangered beetle species, including six critically endangered ones, three endangered spider species, and protected birds such as the common kingfisher and little ringed plover.

Did You Know?

• The most notable settlement on the river is the city of Přerov.
• No reservoirs or fishponds are built directly on the Bečva, but the basin contains 655 bodies of water, the largest being the Karolinka Reservoir (44 ha) and the fishpond Velký choryňský (36 ha).
• The Skalička dry pond, planned for construction from 2025 to 2029, is intended to regulate flow during floods.