a river in Irkutsk Oblast, RSFSR; a left tributary of the Lena. Length, 408 km; basin area, 12,500 sq km. It flows along the southeast outskirts of the Central Siberian Plateau. The valley is marsh-ridden and wooded. The Kuta River is fed primarily by snow. The average water discharge near the mouth is 62.4 cu m per sec. The river freezes in November and thaws in early May. The largest right tributary is the Kupa. The city of Ust’-Kut is situated at the mouth of the Kuta. There are mineral springs in the basin.