Corfe River
| Corfe River | |
|---|---|
 Mouth of Corfe River at Wych Lake | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | North Egliston, about 1.5 km W of Steeple, Isle of Purbeck |
| • coordinates | 50°37′30″N 2°07′42″W / 50.62510°N 2.12821°W |
| • elevation | 85 m (279 ft)[1] |
| Mouth | |
• location | Wych Lake, Poole Harbour |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 8.805 km (5.471 mi)[2] |
| Basin size | 33.922 km2 (13.097 sq mi)[2] |
The Corfe River is one of the four main rivers flowing into Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. It is just under 9 kilometres long.[2]
Name
The Saxon name for Corfe River was the Wichen; this survives in the names of Wytch Farm, Upper Wych Channel, Wytch Heath and Wytch, or Wych, Lake. Wichen may have derived from wics which meant "dairy farm", an indication that the area may not always have been heathland.[3]
Course
The Corfe River rises near North Egliston about 1.5 km (1 mi) west of the hamlet of Steeple, between the Purbeck Hills and the coastal ridge. The river initially flows eastwards towards Corfe Castle. Just before reaching the village it swings north-northeast through the gap in the Purbecks between West Hill and East Hill and continues across Wytch Heath before emptying into Wych (or Wytch) Lake on the southern side of Poole Harbour.[1][2]
Water quality
The Environment Agency measures the water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates, angiosperms and fish, and chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations. Chemical status is rated good or fail.[4]
Water quality of the Corfe River in 2019:
| Section | Ecological Status |
Chemical Status |
Overall Status |
Length | Catchment | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corfe River[5] | Poor | Fail | Poor | 8.805 km (5.471 mi) | 33.922 km2 (13.097 sq mi) |
References
- ^ a b OS topographic map, 1:25,000 series, No. OL15 Purbeck & South Dorset.
- ^ a b c d Corfe River at environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 Nov 2016.
- ^ Bruce, Peter. Inshore Along the Dorset Coast. Lymington, Boldre Marine, 2008. p. 23.
- ^ "Glossary (see Biological quality element; Chemical status; and Ecological status)". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. 17 February 2016.
- ^ "Corfe River". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
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