, name_etymology = , image = Nervion.jpg , image_size = 300px , image_caption = River Nervion with

Zubizuri The Zubizuri (Basque for "''white bridge''"), also called the Campo Volantin Bridge or Puente del Campo Volantin, is a tied arch footbridge across the Nervion River in Bilbao, Spain. Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, the bridge links th ...

footbridge. , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_size = , pushpin_map_caption= , subdivision_type1 = Country , subdivision_name1 = Spain , subdivision_type2 = , subdivision_name2 = , subdivision_type3 = Region , subdivision_name3 =

Basque Country Basque Country may refer to: * Basque Country (autonomous community), as used in Spain ( es, País Vasco, link=no), also called , an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain (shown in pink on the map) * French Basque Country o ...

, subdivision_type4 = District , subdivision_name4 = Álava, Biscay , subdivision_type5 = City , subdivision_name5 = Bilbao , length = , width_min = , width_avg = , width_max = , depth_min = , depth_avg = , depth_max = , discharge1_location= Portugalete and Getxo , discharge1_min = , discharge1_avg = , discharge1_max = , source1 = Delika Canyon , source1_location = Sierra Salbada, Álava, Spain , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , mouth =

Estuary of Bilbao The Estuary of Bilbao (Spanish: ''Ría de Bilbao'' / Basque: ''Bilboko Itsasadarra'') lies at the common mouth of the rivers Nervion, Ibaizabal and Cadagua, which drain most of Biscay and part of Alava in the Basque Country, Spain. In this insta ...

, mouth_location =

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

between Portugalete and Getxo, Spain , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = , basin_size = , tributaries_left =

Kadagua The Cadagua or Kadagua River 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 The Estuary of Bilbao ...

, , tributaries_right = Altube, Ibaizabal, Asua , custom_label = , custom_data = , extra = The River Nervión (; eu, Nerbioi) runs through the town of Bilbao, Spain into the Cantabrian Sea (

). Its lowermost course, downstream of its confluence with the

Ibaizabal River The Ibaizabal (''wide river'' in Basque) is a river that drains southeastern Biscay to the Estuary of Bilbao. It is long from its source at Elorrio to the Nervión, and it passes by the towns of Durango and Amorebieta and joins the Nervión ri ...

, is known as the

Geography

The river is 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 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. It re-enters Alava through the towns of Amurrio and

Llodio Laudio/Llodio is a town and municipality located in the province of Álava, in the Basque Country, northern Spain. Laudio is the name in Basque language and Llodio in Spanish; both are used indistinctly. Geography and Demography Llodio is an ...

. The river then runs back into Biscay province and out to the Cantabrian sea, entering the Bilbao metropolitan area at

Ugao-Miraballes Ugao-Miraballes (official and Basque language name; informally in Spanish: Miravalles) is a town and municipality in the province of Biscay and autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain , image_flag = Bandera de ...

. The tidal influence reaches inland from the sea, in Bilbao's old town. The main tributaries are: * From the west:''

Cadagua The Cadagua or Kadagua River 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 tow ...

'' 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 Nervión-Ibaizabal and the final tract just "''Estuary of Bilbao''". The basin area is .

Naming

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.

Charles Frederick Henningsen Charles Frederick Henningsen (1815 – 14 June 1877) was a Belgian-American writer, mercenary, filibuster, and munitions expert. He participated in revolutions and civil wars in Spain, Circassia, Hungary, Nicaragua, and the United States. Ear ...

, who travelled across the

during the First Carlist War, calls the river in Bilbao the Ibaizabal. 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. Article in Basque

History and economy

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 . 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.

Environment

After a century of intense industrial activity the river, especially the final , 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.

References

External links