Gover Stream
Encyclopedia
The Gover Stream is an approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long stream
located in mid south Cornwall
in South West England
, United Kingdom
.
The source of the stream is at the north eastern side of Blackpool China clay pit at . The stream flows south east through the Gover Valley into the town of St Austell
where it joins the St Austell River
or "White River". The Gover Stream is the first of the two largest tributaries
of the St Austell River.
River
s in the area have problems with china clay waste
materials, mostly kaolinite
, entering the rivers and turning them white. This led to the locally named "White River". (Kaolinite is not a waste material
of the quarrying process, but economically not all of the kaolin can be extracted). Suspended particles
in the stream are reduced by approximately 98% by settling tanks at the beginning of the river. This reduces the energy
of the water in the tanks and allows suspended particles to be deposited and later dredged by diggers.
Several disused china clay dries are located along the stream showing its past industrial importance. There were also plans to extend the Pentewan railway
along the valley from St Austell, but they did not come to fruition.
Recently the Gover Valley has been under threat due to a plan to use the valley as a tipping site for china clay waste. Waste is a huge problem in the area as for every tonne
of kaolinite produced there are on average nine tonnes of waste materials produced; this amounts to approximately 20 million tonnes of waste materials per year. An area of 1 square kilometres (247.1 acre) is planned to be tipped on which would destroy the upper section of the Gover Stream as well as ancient farmland and woodland
. The tip will be landscaped
once completed.
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
located in mid south Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
in South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The source of the stream is at the north eastern side of Blackpool China clay pit at . The stream flows south east through the Gover Valley into the town of St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
where it joins the St Austell River
St Austell River
The St Austell River properly known as the River Vinnick, but historically called The White River, is a long river located in south Cornwall, United Kingdom....
or "White River". The Gover Stream is the first of the two largest tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the St Austell River.
River
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s in the area have problems with china clay waste
Waste
Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...
materials, mostly kaolinite
Kaolinite
Kaolinite is a clay mineral, part of the group of industrial minerals, with the chemical composition Al2Si2O54. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina octahedra...
, entering the rivers and turning them white. This led to the locally named "White River". (Kaolinite is not a waste material
Material
Material is anything made of matter, constituted of one or more substances. Wood, cement, hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. Sometimes the term "material" is used more narrowly to refer to substances or components with certain physical properties that are used as inputs to...
of the quarrying process, but economically not all of the kaolin can be extracted). Suspended particles
Suspension (chemistry)
In chemistry, a suspension is a heterogeneous fluid containing solid particles that are sufficiently large for sedimentation. Usually they must be larger than 1 micrometer. The internal phase is dispersed throughout the external phase through mechanical agitation, with the use of certain...
in the stream are reduced by approximately 98% by settling tanks at the beginning of the river. This reduces the energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
of the water in the tanks and allows suspended particles to be deposited and later dredged by diggers.
Several disused china clay dries are located along the stream showing its past industrial importance. There were also plans to extend the Pentewan railway
Pentewan Railway
The Pentewan Railway was a British narrow gauge railway in Cornwall. It was built as a horse-drawn tramway carrying china clay from St Austell to the harbour at Pentewan. In 1874 the line was rebuilt by engineer John Barraclough Fell and converted to locomotive working, at which time the gauge was...
along the valley from St Austell, but they did not come to fruition.
Recently the Gover Valley has been under threat due to a plan to use the valley as a tipping site for china clay waste. Waste is a huge problem in the area as for every tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
of kaolinite produced there are on average nine tonnes of waste materials produced; this amounts to approximately 20 million tonnes of waste materials per year. An area of 1 square kilometres (247.1 acre) is planned to be tipped on which would destroy the upper section of the Gover Stream as well as ancient farmland and woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
. The tip will be landscaped
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
once completed.