River Yarrow (Lancashire) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids River Yarrow |
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River Yarrow in Duxbury Woods
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| Country | England |
| Region | North West England |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Will Narr Anglezarke Moor 325 m (1,066 ft) 53°38′20.87″N 2°31′26.04″W / 53.6391306°N 2.5239000°W |
| River mouth | River Douglas Sollom 5 m (16 ft) 53°39′41.46″N 2°48′32.7″W / 53.6615167°N 2.809083°W |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries |
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The River Yarrow is a river in Lancashire, England. It starts high up on the West Pennine Moors at a spot called Will Narr. This area is near the border between Chorley and Blackburn.
The river helps fill several important reservoirs, like the Yarrow Reservoir and the Anglezarke Reservoir. After leaving these reservoirs, the Yarrow flows through an area once known as Abyssinia. This name came from coal miners who used to walk through here. They often returned from work covered in coal dust, looking very dark.
The River Yarrow then goes under the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. It joins another stream called Black Brook at Yarrow Bridge. From there, it flows through the old Duxbury forest and into Yarrow Valley Park. The river forms a natural boundary for the village of Euxton. It continues through Eccleston and Croston. Finally, it flows into the River Douglas at Sollom. The Douglas then joins the River Ribble near the sea. The entire journey of the River Yarrow stays within the area of Chorley and its nearby villages. Parts of the river are even special places for wildlife.
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Protecting Croston from Floods
The Croston Flood Risk Management Scheme is a big project built on the River Yarrow. It's located just east of Eccleston. The main goal of this project is to protect over 300 homes in Croston and Eccleston from flooding.
This dam was planned after severe floods in 2012, which badly affected over 200 properties in Croston. Construction began, but then the Boxing Day floods in 2015 caused even more damage. These floods affected over 300 homes and delayed the dam's construction because the ground became too wet to work on.
The dam was finished in July 2017. It cost about £7 million to build. Most of the money came from the government, with contributions from Chorley Council and Lancashire County Council. The dam works by checking the river's water level in Croston. It can then raise or lower gates to control how much water flows through. A large bank was also built to hold back extra water during heavy rains. So far, this scheme has successfully protected Croston and Eccleston from flooding.
What Does "Yarrow" Mean?
The name Yarrow is a bit of a mystery! There are a few ideas about where it came from. It might be linked to another river called the River Yarrow in Scotland. If so, it could come from an old British word, garw, which means "rough" or "wild."
Another idea is that it's related to the River Arrow in Warwickshire. This could mean it comes from an old river word, *ar, meaning "flowing" or "springing up." Or, it might be from a word meaning "wild turnip." It could also be linked to the River Arrow in Wales, which might come from a word meaning "silver" or "bright."
River Yarrow Wildlife
For many years, the River Yarrow suffered from pollution. Factories used to release dirty water into it. But now, the river is much cleaner! This has made it a great home for many different animals.
You can now see birds like dippers, grey wagtails, and kingfishers. The river is also full of fish, including trout, chub, dace, and barbel.
To help the fish, special "fish passes" have been built at places like Pincock and Duxbury. These passes help fish swim upstream over small waterfalls or weirs to lay their eggs. Amazingly, Salmon have been seen at Duxbury for the first time in over 100 years!
People also work to remove harmful plants like Himalayan Balsam, Japanese Knotweed, and Rhododendron. These plants can take over and stop native plants from growing. By removing them, the river's natural plants can grow well.
Streams Joining the Yarrow
Many smaller streams, called tributaries, flow into the River Yarrow along its journey. Here are some of them:
- Green Withins Brook — This brook starts at Standing Stones Hill and flows near the old Simm's Farm.
- Limestone Brook — It begins near Devils Ditch and flows past Shooting Huts on Anglezarke Moor. It joins the Yarrow at a place called the Meeting of the Waters.
- Black Brook — This stream flows from Great Hill through White Coppice. Here, it's sometimes called Warth Brook. It joins the Yarrow at the Yarrow Bridge before the river enters Duxbury Woods. Today, Black Brook often carries more water than the Yarrow itself, because a lot of water is taken from the Yarrow for people to use.
- Eller Brook — This brook flows from Adlington and joins the Yarrow between Duxbury Woods and Drybones.
- Clancutt Brook — This stream flows into the Yarrow at Birkacre, near Coppull.
- River Chor — This river joins the Yarrow in the Common Bank area of Chorley, close to Euxton.
- German Brook — This stream joins the Yarrow shortly after the River Chor.
- Culbeck Brook — This brook flows into the Yarrow at Euxton.
- Syd Brook — This stream joins the Yarrow at Croston.
- River Lostock — This river meets the Yarrow at Bretherton, just before the Yarrow joins the River Douglas.
Water Quality of the River Yarrow
The Environment Agency checks how clean the rivers are in England. They give each river system an overall "ecological status," which can be high, good, moderate, poor, or bad. This status looks at things like the types and numbers of invertebrates (like insects), plants, and fish living in the river. They also check the "chemical status" by comparing chemical levels to safe limits. Chemical status is either good or fail.
In 2016, the water quality of the River Yarrow system was mostly "moderate." This means it's not as clean as it could be. Some reasons for this include:
- Water released from sewage systems.
- Changes made to the river channel by people.
- Poor management of nutrients from farms, which can run into the river.
