River Derwent (River Ouse)
| River Derwent | ||
 Flood protection weir at the mouth of the river in the Ouse |
||
| Data | ||
| location | North Yorkshire , East Riding of Yorkshire , England | |
| River system | Humber | |
| Drain over | Ouse → Humber → North Sea | |
| source |
Fylingdales Bog 54 ° 22 ′ 50 ″ N , 0 ° 37 ′ 24 ″ W. |
|
| Source height | 260 m ASL | |
| muzzle | Ouse coordinates: 53 ° 44 ′ 58 " N , 0 ° 58 ′ 9" W 53 ° 44 ′ 58 " N , 0 ° 58 ′ 9" W. |
|
| Mouth height | 10 m | |
| Height difference | 250 m | |
| Bottom slope | 2.2 ‰ | |
| length | 115 km | |
| Catchment area | 2057 km² | |
| Navigable | 15 miles from the estuary to Sutton upon Derwent | |
The River Derwent is a river in Yorkshire , Northern England . The historically significant river is today mainly used for water abstraction and leisure activities, but it also houses several nature reserves along its course.
River course
The river has its source in the North York Moors , about 12 km northwest of Scarborough . First it flows south, then turns west at the confluence with the Hertford into the Vale of Pickering . At West Ayton , at the exit of the river from the moors, the Sea Cut branches off , an overflow channel into the North Sea at high tide. Up to that point the river has a catchment area of 127 km 2 . Shortly before the mouth of the River Rye , the longest tributary of the Derwent, the river swings south into the Vale of York . The Derwent finally flows into the River Ouse near Barmby on the Marsh .
The middle reaches of the river is bounded in the north by the North York Moors and the Cleveland Hills , in the south by the Yorkshire Wolds . The area along the river is quite sparsely populated; Extensive moorland landscapes can be found especially on the upper reaches, while the adjoining stretches of land are mainly used for agriculture. Several sections along the river are protected.
River history
Before the last ice age, the upper course of the Derwent drained east into the North Sea; the Rye, the middle reaches of the Derwent and the Hertford also drained further south into the North Sea without any connection to the upper reaches. The two rivers were blocked by the lateral moraine of a glacier during the Ice Age, so that a lake was formed in the Vale of Pickering at the end of the Ice Age. This increased more and more until the water overflowed at the deepest point and sought its current course to the south.
It is believed that the unusual confluence of the River Derwent and the River Ouse was created artificially. Presumably it was the Romans who, by shortening the waterway by nine miles, achieved a faster connection upriver from York. The first weir was built at Wheldrake at that time to regulate the river level.
During the reign of Johann Ohneland (1199-1216), the monks of Fountains Abbey were given a water mill on the Derwent. Later in the 13th century there was a weir at this point. From 1462 the canalization of the river from the estuary to Sutton upon Derwent was commissioned by the Lord Mayor of York. Until 1597 there was a grain mill at Sutton upon Derwent. It was rebuilt in 1836 and was in operation until 1960. Other watermills are located at Stamford Bridge, Buttercrambe , Howsham , Kirkham and Malton.
Before the 18th century, coal was commonly transported further inland by water from Newcastle or Sunderland . For this reason there were efforts to expand the navigability of the Derwent as far as Malton. In 1702 the project was approved by a parliamentary resolution. The builders of the industrialization of the river were entitled to levy tariffs on the goods transported across the river.
The owners of the land bordering the river complained in 1722 that the recently built locks and weirs would flood their fields, which led to a loss of income. In 1793, 39 barges carried coal upriver and grain downriver to and from the West Riding of Yorkshire . Practically every village had its own jetty on the river.
In 1845 the York and North Midland Railway was built to provide a rail link from West Riding via Malton to Scarborough. Since then, most of the goods have been transported via the cheaper rail route. In 1890 commercial transport on the river was finally stopped.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the traffic of leisure boats on the river increased. In 1935 the controversial decision was made to revoke the traffic permit above Sutton upon Derwent. Discussions about lifting the traffic ban continue to this day.
Some of the river's water is now used to supply drinking water to the cities of Hull , Leeds , York and Scarborough. With a BOD value of 2 mg / l, the water quality is generally good all year round. Sewage treatment plants along the river exist at Malton , Stamford Bridge , Elvington , Wheldrake and Bubwith . Immediately in front of the confluence with the Ouse, a flood protection weir ensures that a water extraction point behind it is spared from the tide of the North Sea and thus from salt water. The weir has two lock gates, each seven meters wide and five meters high.
natural reserve
The river, its tributaries and the surrounding wetlands are very important for nature conservation, ecology and the landscape. The area therefore has many designated nature reserves. These are divided into:
- European bird sanctuaries ( SPAs ), they offer protection for birds and their breeding grounds
- Special Areas of Conservation ( SAC's ), they contribute to the biodiversity of soil animals
- Ramsar areas (RGs), these are wetlands of international importance, see Ramsar Convention
- and Sites of Special Scientific Interest ( SSSI's )
| SSSI's | SAC's | SPA's | RGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Derwent, Derwent Ings, Breighton Meadows, Skipwith Common, Melbourne and Thornton Ings, Pocklington Canal, Newton Mask, Kirkham Park and Riverside, Jeffrey Bog, Ellers Wood and Sand Dale, Raincliffe and Forge Valley. | River Derwent, Skipwith Common, Lower Derwent Valley, Ellers Wood and Sand Dale, North York Moors. | Lower Derwent Valley, North York Moors. | Lower Derwent Valley |
Tributaries (selection)
- River Hertford (left side), catchment area: 83 km 2
- River Eye (right-hand side), catchment area: 854 km 2
- Pocklington Canal (left side), artificial water link to Pocklington
Individual evidence
- ↑ John Ogden: Yorkshire's River Derwent . Terence Dalton Limited, Lavenham Suffolk England 1974, ISBN 900963425, pp. 18-19.
- ↑ a b c d Pat Jones: Navigation on the Yorkshire Derwent . The Oakwood Press, 2000, ISBN 0853615632 , OCLC 54319694 .
- ^ Ian Carstairs: The Yorkshire River Derwent . Halsgrove, Wellington, Somerset, England 2007, ISBN 978-1841145679 , OCLC 71165035 .
