Česma

Česma
Česma river at Narta near Bjelovar.
Country	Croatia
Basin features
Main source	114 m (374 ft)
River mouth	Lonja-Trebež 84 m (276 ft) 45°34′31″N 16°28′16″E / 45.57528°N 16.47111°E / 45.57528; 16.47111Coordinates: 45°34′31″N 16°28′16″E / 45.57528°N 16.47111°E / 45.57528; 16.47111
Basin size	2,608 km2 (1,007 sq mi)
Tributaries	Right: Glogovnica
Physical characteristics
Length	124 km (77 mi)
Discharge	Average rate: 14.1 m3/s (500 cu ft/s)

Česma is a river in central Croatia, the left tributary of the river Lonja-Trebež. It is 124 km (77 mi) long, and its catchment area is 2,608 km² (1,007 sq mi).

Created by merging streams Grđevica and Barna at 45°43′32″N 17°03′01″E / 45.72556°N 17.05028°E / 45.72556; 17.05028 near the village of Pavlovac in the municipality of Veliki Grđevac. Česma basin is fan-shaped and formed by a number of streams rising on the slopes of Bilogora and Moslavačka gora hills. Southern sides of Bilogora slightly goes downhill, rugged with numerous ravines and gullies, steeply and deeply cut in. On the sides appears numerous springs, that in the dry part of the year losing water.

It has a small drop (small difference in altitude between the source and the mouth) which was causing frequent floods before the regulation of the riverbed. The area around the watercourse of Česma till a hundred years ago was subject of flooding, which is why it was swampy. After that, Česma river and its tributaries was channelized, embankments were built for flood protection, and the soil is dried to obtain arable land as well as the fight against malaria.