Gover Stream facts for kids
The Gover Stream is a small river in Cornwall, England. Its name, 'Gover', means 'stream' in the local Cornish language. It is about 3 kilometers (2 miles) long.
The Gover Stream starts near the Blackpool China clay pit. It flows southeast through the Gover Valley. Finally, it reaches the town of St Austell. Here, it joins the St Austell River, which is also known as the "White River." The Gover Stream is one of the two biggest smaller rivers that flow into the St Austell River. These smaller rivers are called tributaries.
Contents
Why the River is White
Rivers in the St Austell area often look white. This is because of tiny particles from china clay mining. China clay is also known as kaolinite. When it gets into the water, it turns the rivers a milky white color. This is why the St Austell River is called the "White River."
How Clay Waste is Managed
Mining for china clay creates a lot of waste material. This waste, mostly kaolinite, can make the rivers very cloudy. To help clean the water, special areas called settling tanks are used. These tanks are at the beginning of the Gover Stream.
When the water flows into these tanks, it slows down a lot. This makes the tiny clay particles, which are called suspended particles, sink to the bottom. About 98% of these particles are removed this way. Later, large machines called diggers come and remove the settled clay from the tanks. This process helps keep the river cleaner.
The Stream's Industrial Past
The Gover Stream has a history linked to the china clay industry. Along the stream, you can still see old buildings called "china clay dries." These were used to dry the clay after it was mined. They show how important the stream was for industry in the past.
There were also plans to build a railway line, the Pentewan railway, along the Gover Valley. This railway would have helped transport the clay. However, these plans never happened.
Protecting the Gover Valley
The Gover Valley has recently faced a big challenge. There was a plan to use the valley as a dumping ground for china clay waste. Mining china clay creates a huge amount of waste. For every 1 tonne of useful clay, about nine tonnes of waste material are produced. This adds up to around 20 million tonnes of waste every year!
A large area, about 1 square kilometer (250 acres), was planned to be used for this waste. If this had happened, it would have destroyed the upper part of the Gover Stream. It would also have harmed old farmland and woodland in the valley. Thankfully, once a waste site is full, it is usually landscaped. This means it is reshaped and planted with trees and plants to make it look natural again.
