The Usva freezes up in the month of November and remains icebound until late April or early May. This is a lowland river for most of its course except upstream, where it has many rocks and rapids. Its banks are steep and rocky, covered with forests.
The Usva crosses the Basegi range, which reaches 951 metres (3,120 ft) in elevation at North Baseg. There are seven localities on the banks of the river and some abandoned villages. The town of Chusovoy is at the confluence of the Usva and the Chusovaya rivers.
The most believable explanation of the name is that it is a composite of the Komi-Permyak words usyny (to fall) and va (water); then it can be translated as "falling water".
Ресурсы поверхностных вод СССР. Гидрологическая изученность. Т. 2: Средний Урал и Приуралье. Вып. 1: Кама / под ред. В. В. Николаенко. Л.: Гидрометеоиздат, 1966. 324 с., С. 79
