Nervión
Encyclopedia
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...
Nervión runs through the city of Bilbao, Spain into the Cantabrian Sea (Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
).
It is also known as Estuary of Bilbao
Estuary of Bilbao
The Estuary of Bilbao lies at the common mouth of the rivers Nervion, Ibaizabal and Cadagua, that drain most of Biscay and part of Alava in the Basque Country, Spain. It is a large estuary long that extends from Bilbao to the Bilbao Abra bay, a widening that makes the final transition between...
on its final tract, from the joining with Ibaizabal river to the sea.
Geography
The river is 72 km (44.7 mi) long from its source at the BurgosBurgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
and Alava
Álava
Álava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
provincial limits to the sea and runs in South to North direction. Soon after its source, the river forms a spectacular 300 m (984.3 ft) waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
in the Delika canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
(Alava
Álava
Álava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
) and then enters the Biscay province through the town of Orduña
Orduña
Orduña is a town and municipality of 4,057 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the North of Spain....
. It goes into Alava again through the towns of Amurrio
Amurrio
Amurrio is a town and municipality located in the province of Álava, in the Basque Country, northern Spain.-External links:* Information available in Spanish...
and Llodio. Then the river runs again into the Biscay province until the Cantabrian sea
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
, entering the Bilbao metropolitan area
Gran Bilbao
Greater Bilbao is an administrative division of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven comarcas of Biscay and the most populated one...
at Ugao-Miraballes
Ugao-Miraballes
Ugao-Miraballes is a town and municipality in the province of Biscay and autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain.-External links:*...
. The tidal
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
influence reaches 15km inland from the sea, at Bilbao's old town.
The main 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...
are:
- From the west:CadaguaCadaguaThe river Cadagua or Kadagua drains the Biscayan area of Encartaciones , from the Castilian valley of Mena to Barakaldo and Bilbao, where it forms the border between these municipalities and ends at the Estuary of Bilbao. Another important town that this river crosses is Balmaseda.The river takes...
and Galindo. - From the east: Arratia, IbaizabalIbaizabalThe river Ibaizabal drains southeastern Biscay to the Estuary of Bilbao. It is 43 km long from its source at Elorrio to the Nervion, and it passes by the towns of Durango and Amorebieta and joins the Nervion river at Basauri. Both rivers run then together for a short length until they merge...
and Asua.
Ibaizabal is considered by some to be an equally important river, so the whole system is often called Nervion-Ibaizabal and the final tract just "Estuary of Bilbao". The basin area is 1900 km² (733.6 sq mi).
Controversy
Despite its current success in SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
use, the traditional name of the stretch between the estuary and Basauri
Basauri
Basauri is a major municipality of Biscay, in the Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain.The town is a part of the Greater Bilbao conurbation, being only a few kilometers south of Bilbao. It is an industrial town that also includes monuments such as the tower-house of Ariz. It...
, where both Ibaizabal
Ibaizabal
The river Ibaizabal drains southeastern Biscay to the Estuary of Bilbao. It is 43 km long from its source at Elorrio to the Nervion, and it passes by the towns of Durango and Amorebieta and joins the Nervion river at Basauri. Both rivers run then together for a short length until they merge...
and Nervión merge, is Ibaizabal (meaning 'wide river' in Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
), according to historical evidence tracing back to the 11th century and up to the 20th. The literature writer native of Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright and philosopher.-Biography:...
(1864-1936) as well as mayor of Bilbao Javier Ybarra (1913-1977) refer to it as Ibaizabal. Geological and hydrological data also seem to support that assumption.
History and Economy
Orduña
Orduña is a town and municipality of 4,057 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the North of Spain....
pass that links Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's inner plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
with the Nervion valley has had a great economic impact. During the Middle Age
Middle age
Middle age is the period of age beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. Various attempts have been made to define this age, which is around the third quarter of the average life span of human beings....
it served as a natural border between the Biscay lordship and Castile counties, entry taxes were collected there.
Through the centuries, the Nervion valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
was a vital communication corridor for Biscay, and the main railroad from Bilbao to the rest of Spain was constructed following the river in 1870.
At the same time, Bilbao developed a great commercial activity, with its seaport
Port of Bilbao
The Port of Bilbao is located on the Bilbao Abra bay, and along the Estuary of Bilbao, in Biscay . The main facilities are in the Santurtzi and Zierbena municipalities, approximately 15 km west of Bilbao...
being the most important in the north coast of Spain. The port's activity relied totally in the navigability of the river in its final 15km.
So engineer Evaristo Churruca
Evaristo de Churruca y Brunet
Evaristo de Churruca y Brunet Spanish Engineer. He directed diverse construction work in Murcia and Biscay and subsequently was transferred to Puerto Rico, where was in charge of the installation of the telegraphic network of the island and carried out a study for the improvement of the port of...
developed an enormous project that would solve the traditional navigation problems of the river.
The estuary divided the population of the Greater Bilbao, the Left Bank
Left Bank (Biscay)
The left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao is a part of the Greater Bilbao region, its main towns are Barakaldo, Sestao, Santurtzi and Portugalete and in addition to the iron mines , was the heart of the intense industrialisation of Biscay...
was occupied by factories (steel, metalwork, shipbuilding) and their workers, the Right Bank
Right Bank (Biscay)
The right bank of the estuary of the river Nervión in Biscay, Spain is part of the Metropolitan Area of Bilbao and is formed by the towns of Getxo, Leioa and Erandio. It includes affluent neighbourhoods like Neguri and Las Arenas, traditionally the residential areas of the industrial bourgeoisie...
was a residential area for the factory owners.
Now the Nervión river has lost economic importance, the navigable part of the river is being abandoned in favour of the external port, to allow urban development to take place in the banks of the river after the dismantlement of the industry.
The quality of the water has improved through refuse water cleaning and the disappearance of the most polluting industries.
Environment
After a century of intense industrial activity the river, especially the final 25km, was ecologically dead with oxygenOxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
levels 20% below the norm, being one of the most polluted rivers in the world. In 1990 the local authorities launched a plan to overcome this situation, resulting in a constant improvement of the environmental status that after 15 years has transformed the Nervion in a clean river, full of aquatic life.
External links
- Greater Bilbao Water Authority: http://www.consorciodeaguas.com
- Estuary of Bilbao Maritime Museum: http://www.museomaritimobilbao.org