The River Eau ( ) is a 15-mile-long (24 km) tributary of the
River Trent
The Trent is the third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands. The river is known for dramatic flooding after storms and ...
that flows through
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
The Eau catchment lies between that of the Bottesford Beck to the north, and the
River Witham
The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at , passes through the centre of Grantham (where it may be closely followed using the Riversi ...
to the south and east, and covers an area of 125 square kilometres (48 square miles). The river is one of the few notable streams that drain the right bank of the tidal Trent.
The source of the river is near
Harpswell, at the foot of the
Lincolnshire Edge
The Lincoln Cliff or Lincoln Edge is a portion of a major escarpment that runs north–south through Lindsey and Kesteven in central Lincolnshire and is a prominent landscape feature in a generally flat portion of the county. Towards its norther ...
, and it joins the tidal River Trent at Susworth. Unlike other rivers that drain into the tidal Trent, there is no pumping station associated with the outfall, it relies on gravity to discharge during periods of tidal
low water
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables ca ...
.
The Eau flows through the village of
Scotter
__NOTOC__
Scotter is a large village and civil parish in West Lindsey, Lincolnshire, England, situated between Scunthorpe and Gainsborough.OS Explorer Map 280: Isle of Axholme, Scunthorpe and Gainsborough: (1:25 000) :
The population of the ...
, which has a history of being flooded by the river; the most recent occasion was in June 2007.
The river is also important for the drainage of the flat low-lying agricultural land that surrounds it, with some 2000 hectares or 20 square kilometres (8 square miles) of the Gainsborough
Internal Drainage Board
An internal drainage board (IDB) is a type of operating authority which is established in areas of special drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers to undertake work to secure clean water drainage and water level management with ...
district, relying on the Eau for this function. Whilst the drains that discharge into the Eau are maintained by the Drainage Board, the river is the responsibility of the
Environment Agency being designated as a
Main river
Main rivers () are a statutory type of watercourse in England and Wales, usually larger streams and rivers, but also some smaller watercourses. A main river is designated by being marked as such on a main river map, and can include any structure o ...
.
Its tributaries are Northorpe Beck, Manton Sewer and Dar Beck.
[Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 Scale Colour Raster map]
See also
*
Barlings Eau
Barlings Eau is a small river near Barlings, Lincolnshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Witham, joining it near Short Ferry. It acts as the central spine for a number of other small rivers, which drain the low-lying land to either ...
*
Bourne Eau
Bourne Eau is a short river which rises from an artesian spring in the town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, England, and flows in an easterly direction to join the River Glen at Tongue End. Within the town, it once powered three water mills, one of w ...
*
Great Eau
The Great Eau is a river in Lincolnshire, England, rising from the Chalk Streams of the Lincolnshire Wolds
The Lincolnshire Wolds are a range of low hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England which run roughly parallel with the North Sea ...
References
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