The river is 72 kilometres (45 mi) long from its source at the Burgos and Alava provincial limits to the sea and runs in a South to North direction. Soon after its source, the river forms a spectacular 300-metre (980 ft) waterfall in the Delika canyon (Alava) and then enters the Biscay province through the city of Orduña. This waterfall is the largest in Spain with its 222 metres.[1] It re-enters Alava through the towns of Amurrio and Llodio. The river then runs back into Biscay province and out to the Cantabrian sea, entering the Bilbao metropolitan area at Ugao-Miraballes. The tidal influence reaches 15 kilometres (9 mi) inland from the sea, in Bilbao's old town.
The Ibaizabal is considered by some to be an equally important river, so the whole system is often called Nervión-Ibaizabal and the final tract just "Estuary of Bilbao". The basin area is 1,900 square kilometres (730 sq mi).
Namingedit
Despite its current popularity in Spanish, the traditional name of the stretch between the estuary and Basauri, where the Ibaizabal and Nervión merge, is Ibaizabal (meaning 'wide river' in Basque), according to historical evidence traced from the eleventh century up to the twentieth.
Since ancient times, the Orduña pass that links Spain's inner plateau with the Nervión valley has had a great economic impact. During the Middle Ages it served as a natural border between the Biscay lordship and Castile counties, and tolls were collected there. Through the centuries, the Nervión valley was a vital communication corridor for Biscay, and the main rail line from Bilbao to the rest of Spain was constructed following the river in 1870.
At the same time, Bilbao developed great commercial activity, with its seaport being the most important on the north coast of Spain. The port's activity relied totally on the navigability of the river in its final 15 kilometres (9 mi). Engineer Evaristo Churruca developed an enormous project that would solve the traditional navigation problems of the river. The estuary divided the population of Greater Bilbao; the Left Bank was occupied by factories (steel, smelting and shipbuilding) and their workers, the Right Bank was a residential area for the factory owners.
Now that the River Nervión has lost economic importance, the navigable part of the river is being abandoned in favour of the sea port, to allow urban development to take place on the banks of the river after the withdrawal of heavy industry.
The quality of the water has improved through sanitization projects on the river and the disappearance of the most polluting industries.
Environmentedit
After a century of intense industrial activity the river, especially the final 25 kilometres (16 mi), was ecologically dead with oxygen levels 20 percent below the norm. This made the Nervión 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 Nervión in to a clean river, full of aquatic life.
^"Las cascadas naturales más impresionantes de España". Vipealo. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
^Henningsen, Charles F. (2015). Doce meses de campaña con Zumalacárregui / The Most Striking Events of a Twelve month Campaign with Zumalacarregui. Zumalakarregi Museoa / Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundia. p. 622. ISBN978-0692358535.
^"Bilboko itsasadarra ibai zabala da" (in Basque). Santurtziko Udal Euskaltegia. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nervión River.
nervión, district, seville, seville, river, spanish, pronunciation, neɾˈβjon, basque, nerbioi, runs, through, town, bilbao, spain, into, cantabrian, biscay, lowermost, course, downstream, confluence, with, ibaizabal, river, known, estuary, bilbao, basque, nerb. For the district of Seville see Nervion Seville The River Nervion Spanish pronunciation neɾˈbjon Basque Nerbioi runs through the town of Bilbao Spain into the Cantabrian Sea Bay of Biscay Its lowermost course downstream of its confluence with the Ibaizabal River is known as the Estuary of Bilbao NervionBasque NerbioiRiver Nervion with Zubizuri footbridge LocationCountrySpainRegionBasque CountryDistrictAlava BiscayCityBilbaoPhysical characteristicsSourceDelika Canyon locationSierra Salbada Alava Spain elevation1 000 m 3 300 ft MouthEstuary of Bilbao locationBay of Biscay between Portugalete and Getxo Spain elevation0 m 0 ft Length72 km 45 mi Basin size1 900 km2 730 sq mi Discharge locationPortugalete and Getxo average9 6 m3 s 340 cu ft s Basin featuresTributaries leftKadagua Galindo es rightAltube Ibaizabal AsuaDelika canyon and waterfall from Burgos side Contents 1 Geography 1 1 Naming 2 History and economy 3 Environment 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksGeography editThe river is 72 kilometres 45 mi long from its source at the Burgos and Alava provincial limits to the sea and runs in a South to North direction Soon after its source the river forms a spectacular 300 metre 980 ft waterfall in the Delika canyon Alava and then enters the Biscay province through the city of Orduna This waterfall is the largest in Spain with its 222 metres 1 It re enters Alava through the towns of Amurrio and Llodio The river then runs back into Biscay province and out to the Cantabrian sea entering the Bilbao metropolitan area at Ugao Miraballes The tidal influence reaches 15 kilometres 9 mi inland from the sea in Bilbao s old town The main tributaries are From the west Cadagua and Galindo From the east Arratia Ibaizabal and Asua The 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 1 900 square kilometres 730 sq mi Naming edit Despite its current popularity in Spanish the traditional name of the stretch between the estuary and Basauri where the Ibaizabal and Nervion merge is Ibaizabal meaning wide river in Basque according to historical evidence traced from the eleventh century up to the twentieth Charles Frederick Henningsen who travelled across the Basque Country during the First Carlist War calls the river in Bilbao the Ibaizabal 2 The literary writer from Bilbao Miguel de Unamuno 1864 1936 as well as former mayor of Bilbao Javier Ybarra 1913 1977 refer to it as the Ibaizabal Geological and hydrological data also seem to support this assumption 3 clarification needed History and economy editSince ancient times the Orduna pass that links Spain s inner plateau with the Nervion valley has had a great economic impact During the Middle Ages it served as a natural border between the Biscay lordship and Castile counties and tolls were collected there Through the centuries the Nervion valley was a vital communication corridor for Biscay and the main rail line from Bilbao to the rest of Spain was constructed following the river in 1870 At the same time Bilbao developed great commercial activity with its seaport being the most important on the north coast of Spain The port s activity relied totally on the navigability of the river in its final 15 kilometres 9 mi Engineer Evaristo Churruca developed an enormous project that would solve the traditional navigation problems of the river The estuary divided the population of Greater Bilbao the Left Bank was occupied by factories steel smelting and shipbuilding and their workers the Right Bank was a residential area for the factory owners Now that the River Nervion has lost economic importance the navigable part of the river is being abandoned in favour of the sea port to allow urban development to take place on the banks of the river after the withdrawal of heavy industry The quality of the water has improved through sanitization projects on the river and the disappearance of the most polluting industries Environment editAfter a century of intense industrial activity the river especially the final 25 kilometres 16 mi was ecologically dead with oxygen levels 20 percent below the norm This made the Nervion 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 to a clean river full of aquatic life See also editList of rivers of SpainReferences edit Las cascadas naturales mas impresionantes de Espana Vipealo Retrieved 14 December 2020 Henningsen Charles F 2015 Doce meses de campana con Zumalacarregui The Most Striking Events of a Twelve month Campaign with Zumalacarregui Zumalakarregi Museoa Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundia p 622 ISBN 978 0692358535 Bilboko itsasadarra ibai zabala da in Basque Santurtziko Udal Euskaltegia Retrieved 2008 05 16 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nervion River Greater Bilbao Water Authority Estuary of Bilbao Maritime Museum43 19 31 82 N 3 01 09 74 W 43 3255056 N 3 0193722 W 43 3255056 3 0193722 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nervion amp oldid 1167432697, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
