Nidelva is the main river in the Arendal
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
in
Agder
Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("south ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. The long river begins at the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
of two rivers:
Nisserelva and
Fyreselv. The confluence is located by the village of
Haugsjåsund in
Nissedal
Nissedal is a rural municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Treungen. The ...
municipality in southern
Vestfold og Telemark
Vestfold og Telemark (; ) is a county under disestablishment in Norway. The county is the southernmost one of Eastern Norway and consists of two distinct and separate traditional regions: the former counties of Telemark and (most of) Vestfold. T ...
county. The river flows south into the
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea.
The ...
at the city of
Arendal
Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...
. The
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
covers and has an average waterflow of at
Rykene
Rykene or Rygene is a village located along the river Nidelva in Agder county, Norway. The village is primarily located in Arendal municipality, but a small portion of the village lies across the river in the neighboring municipality of Grimstad. ...
near the mouth. The highest waterflow ever recorded on the river was in the autumn of 1987.
Watercourse
The river flows through Nissedal in Vestfold og Telemark county briefly before entering Agder county. It then flows through
Åmli
Åmli is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The main population centre and administrative center is the village of Åmli which lies along the river Nidelva. Other villages in Åmli in ...
municipality. The river
Gjøv joins the Nidelva there. The large lake
Nelaug
Nelaug is a village in the southern part of the municipality of Åmli in Agder county, Norway. The population (2001) was 161. The village lies at east of the Nelaug lake, which is regulated by a hydroelectric power plant. The most notable featu ...
is a man-made lake along the river that is used for power generation. It continues through
Froland
Froland is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Blakstad, which along with Osedalen form the main population center of the municipality. Other vi ...
municipality and then
Arendal
Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...
municipality. For a while, the river forms the border between
Grimstad
Grimstad () is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad. Some of the villages in Grimstad include Eide, Espenes, Fevik, ...
and Arendal municipalities. The river empties into the
Skaggerak
The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea.
The ...
just northeast of
Rykene
Rykene or Rygene is a village located along the river Nidelva in Agder county, Norway. The village is primarily located in Arendal municipality, but a small portion of the village lies across the river in the neighboring municipality of Grimstad. ...
in the
town of Arendal between the mainland and the island of
Hisøya
Hisøya or Hisøy (historically: ''Hisøen'') is an island in Agder county, Norway. The island has been part of the municipality of Arendal since 1992. The main village areas on the island are Kolbjørnsvik, His, Slåbervig, and Sandviga. The ...
.
There are sixteen
hydro-electric power
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...
stations are built along the river, making this one of Norway's most controlled drainage systems. The largest on the river are at Rygene in Grimstad, Evenstad in Froland, and Jørundland in Åmli.
Salmon
Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...
can be found from the mouth to as far as up the river, where the Evenstad power station is located, effectively blocking their path further upstream.
Name
The name of the river possibly comes from the
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
word ''niðr'' which means "the river that is lying down". It may also come from the Latin word ''nitere''. The name of the river also may lend itself to several other local names along the river such as
Nisser
Nisser is a lake in Nissedal, Norway. It is the 13th-largest lake in the nation by area with a surface area of , the 10th largest by volume at 7.19 km³, and the 13th deepest at . It is located in Nissedal and Kviteseid municipality in Ves ...
,
Nedenes
Nedenes is a village in Arendal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located in the southern part of Arendal, just north of the municipal border with Grimstad. The Norwegian County Road 420 runs through the village heading north ...
, and
Nelaug
Nelaug is a village in the southern part of the municipality of Åmli in Agder county, Norway. The population (2001) was 161. The village lies at east of the Nelaug lake, which is regulated by a hydroelectric power plant. The most notable featu ...
.
Media gallery
View of the River Nid (JW Edy plate 20).jpg, ''View of the River Nid'' by John William Edy
Froland-Froland kirke-a.JPG, Froland Church
Froland Church ( no, Froland kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Froland Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Froland. It is one of the two churches for the Froland parish which is part of the ...
located along the river Nidelva
Arendal-Nidelva-a.JPG, View of the river in Arendal
Aamli IMG 1921 nidelva rv41 gjermundsnes southwards.JPG, View of the river near Gjermundsnes in Åmli
Aamli IMG 1947 kraftverk aamfossen.JPG, Åmfossen power station along the river in Åmli
Fv161 fra Furre bru til 42 Ovelandsdalen i Froland IMG 5663.jpg, Furre bridge over the river in Froland
References
External links
*
Evenstad power station{{in lang, no
Rivers of Agder
Rivers of Vestfold og Telemark
Grimstad
Arendal
Froland
Åmli
Nissedal