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The Daugava or Western Dvina (, , , , , , ) is a river rising in the Valdai Hills, Russia, flowing through Russia, Belarus, and Latvia, draining into the Gulf of Riga in Latvia, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The total length of the river is 1,020 km (634 mi).
It is connected by a canal with Berezina and Dnieper rivers.
It is not to be confused with Northern Dvina.
There are three hydroelectric dams on the river - Rīgas HES just upstream from Riga or 35 km from the mouth of the river, Ķeguma HES another 35 km further up or 70 km from the mouth, and Pļaviņu HES another 37 km upstream or 107 km from the mouth. A fourth one, Daugavpils HES, has been planned but has always faced strong criticism. Belarus currently plans to build several hydroelectric dams on the Belarusian part of Daugava.
In late March 2007, a pipe for diesel transport, located in Belarus and belonging to a Russian company Запад-Транснефте-продукт failed, ejecting more than 100 tons of diesel into the river. Currently more than 100 km of Daugava's basin located in Latvia is covered in diesel.
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