| Velykyi Kuialnyk River | |||||||||||
| Mouth Location: | Kuialnyk Estuary | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Country | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Name1: | Ukraine | ||||||||||
| Length: | 150km (90miles) | ||||||||||
| Basin Size: | 1860km2 | ||||||||||
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The Velykyi Kuialnyk (uk|Великий Куяльник) or Bolshoy Kuyalnik (ru|Большой Куяльник) is a river in Podilsk and Berezivka Raions of Odesa Oblast, Ukraine. It flows into the Kuialnyk Estuary of the Black Sea. The river spans 150km (90miles), with a drainage basin covering 1860km2.[1] The urban-type settlements of Shyriaieve and Ivanivka are located along its banks.Historically, the Velykyi Kuialnyk was navigable and, along with the Dniester, served as a route for transporting goods to the Black Sea, bypassing the cascades of the Dnieper River. However, in 2007–2008, illegal sand diggers constructed a dam at the river’s mouth, which prevented it from emptying into the sea. The dam has not been removed, resulting in the gradual drying of the estuary.[2] [3]