Emscher
Encyclopedia
The Emscher is a relatively small river
and tributary of the Rhine, flowing through the Ruhr area
in North Rhine-Westphalia
in western Germany
. Its total length is 84km with an average discharge near the mouth into the lower Rhine of 16 m³/s (cubic metres per second).
The Emscher has its source in Holzwickede
, east of the city of Dortmund
, and flows west through the Ruhr area
. Towns along the Emscher include Dortmund
, Castrop-Rauxel
, Herne
, Recklinghausen
, Gelsenkirchen
, Essen
, Bottrop
, Oberhausen
and Dinslaken
, where it flows into the Rhine.
In the geographical centre of a vast industrial area of 5 million inhabitants, the river is biologically dead, as it was used as an open waste water canal since the end of the 19th century. Due to the continual down river movement of soil from the mining industry, it has been impossible for the natural course of the river to be maintained, and consequently its mouth into the Rhine has been relocated north twice. A huge modern sewage treatment plant at its mouth ensures that the water of the Emscher enters the Rhine in an acceptable quality.
Since the early 1990s, a huge renaturation project for the Emscher river has been progressing. To fully rehabilitate the river, a large subterranean pipe is currently being constructed along the course of the river. The first section of the river subject to renaturation is in the city of Dortmund
. The total project will cost several billion Euros and is to be finished by the year 2020.
Sources:
http://www.emschergenossenschaft.de
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...
and tributary of the Rhine, flowing through the Ruhr area
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...
in North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
in western Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Its total length is 84km with an average discharge near the mouth into the lower Rhine of 16 m³/s (cubic metres per second).
The Emscher has its source in Holzwickede
Holzwickede
Holzwickede is a municipality in the district of Unna in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.It is twinned with Weymouth, England and Louviers.- References :...
, east of the city of Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, and flows west through the Ruhr area
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...
. Towns along the Emscher include Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, Castrop-Rauxel
Castrop-Rauxel
-Geography:Castrop-Rauxel is between Dortmund to the east, Bochum , Herne , and to the north, Recklinghausen, Datteln and Waltrop.- Urban Area :The urban area of Castrop-Rauxel has an total expanse of...
, Herne
Herne, Germany
Herne is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.- History :Like most other cities in the region Herne was a tiny village until the 19th century...
, Recklinghausen
Recklinghausen
Recklinghausen is the northernmost city in the Ruhr-Area and the capital of the Recklinghausen district. It borders the rural Münsterland and is characterized by large fields and farms in the north and industry in the south...
, Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
, Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Bottrop
Bottrop
Bottrop is a city in west central Germany, on the Rhine-Herne Canal, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located in the Ruhr industrial area, Bottrop adjoins Essen, Oberhausen, Gladbeck and Dorsten. The city had been a coal-mining and rail center and contains factories producing coal-tar derivatives,...
, Oberhausen
Oberhausen
Oberhausen is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen . The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is also well known for the...
and Dinslaken
Dinslaken
Dinslaken is a city in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is known for its harness horse race track, its now closed coal mine in Lohberg and its wealthy neighborhoods Hiesfeld and Eppinghoven.- Geography :...
, where it flows into the Rhine.
In the geographical centre of a vast industrial area of 5 million inhabitants, the river is biologically dead, as it was used as an open waste water canal since the end of the 19th century. Due to the continual down river movement of soil from the mining industry, it has been impossible for the natural course of the river to be maintained, and consequently its mouth into the Rhine has been relocated north twice. A huge modern sewage treatment plant at its mouth ensures that the water of the Emscher enters the Rhine in an acceptable quality.
Since the early 1990s, a huge renaturation project for the Emscher river has been progressing. To fully rehabilitate the river, a large subterranean pipe is currently being constructed along the course of the river. The first section of the river subject to renaturation is in the city of Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
. The total project will cost several billion Euros and is to be finished by the year 2020.
Sources:
http://www.emschergenossenschaft.de