Eden Basin

• where is the Eden Basin located

  the Eden drainage basin is in the North West of England, between the mountains of the lake district and the Pennines. the river drains the North East Lake District Fells and north west Pennines.
• where is the River source

  the river Eden source is in the Pennine hills in South Cumbria. it flows northwest through Appleby-in-Westmorland and Carlisle.
• where is the river's mouth

  it's mouth is in the Solway Firth at the Scottish border
• where does the River basin flow

  the river basin is largely rural, although the river Eden does flow through the city of Carlisle.
• why is Carlisle particularly vulnerable to floods

  Upland areas that drain into the river Eden experience extreme Weather that can cause flooding downstream, Carlisle is particularly vulnerable as it's at the confluence of the Eden, petteril and Caldew rivers and it's fairly low lying
• what's the rainfall like in the basin

  rainfall is higher than the national average in the Eden basin, because of the relief of the area, the mountainous terrain encourages orographic rainfall. high rainfall mean that lots of water enters the river channels
• what things affect lag time in the river

  1) the shape

  2) the topography

  3) the Rock type
• how does the shape of the river affect lag time

  the Eden basin is long and relatively narrow, which increases like time.
• how does topography affect the lag time


  the slopes within the basin are steep. this reduces like time and increases peak discharge.
• how does rock type affect the lag time

  the basin is made up of a number of different types of rock

  1) the highest ground, to the west of the basin, is made of igneous rock, which are impermeable ( water won't soak into them). infiltration is very slow and surface runoff is high in these areas, reducing lifetime.

  2) much of the basin, however is made up of limestone and sandstone, which are permeable. when precipitation falls in these areas, infiltration is quick and there is little surface runoff, increasing the lag time. the amount of water in ground stores increases.
• what impact does farming have on the basin

  1) more intensive farming has caused soil to become compacted, for example by heavy machinery or trampling by livestock. Between 2000 and 2009 there was a 30% increase in the number of cattle in the Eden Valley, meaning that much more land is likely to have been trampled.

  2) compaction of soils reduces infiltration, so surface runoff is higher. this means water levels in rivers Rise quickly during heavy rainfall, increasing the risk of flooding.

  3) grazing in Upland areas, for example Hill farming of sheep, has also reduced the amount of vegetation that can intercept rainfall, resulting in more water reaching rivers.
• how has construction affected the basin

  1) although the majority of the Eden basin is rural, built-up areas have increased. Many new housing estates have been built in and around Carlisle in recent years, for example the Eden Gate development to the north of the city, and there are plans to develop huge Garden Village to the south of the city, including up to 10,000 homes.

  2) surfaces in built-up areas tend to be impermeable, which reduces the size of infiltration flows and greatly increases the size and speed of surface runoff flows.

  3) some new developments, particularly near Carlisle, have been built on floodplains. this has created a flood risk to property and has required the construction of flood defences to protect homes. building on floodplains can cause flooding downstream as water that would naturally infiltrate on The floodplains Flows downstream instead.
• how has deforestation affected the basin

  1) deforestation has also taken place in the basin for thousands of years, for example to provide timber, and land for farming. Much of the original Forest cover in the Eden basin has now been removed, giving way to large areas, open grassland and Heathland.

  2) trees increase infiltration and decrease runoff, so fewer trees means more runoff, flashier flood hydrographs and a greater risk of flooding.
• how is climate change predicted to change the basin

  climate change is predicted to change rainfall patterns in the UK. for example part of the Western UK could get up to 35% more winter rainfall by 2080. Increased winter rainfall in the Eden basin would increase runoff and flood risk.
• what happened in December 2015 in the basin

  1) in December 2015, storm Desmond caused devastating flooding in Cumbria. some of the worst flooding occurred in the Eden Basin.

  2) in some areas of Cumbria, there was record rainfall. in shap, a village in the Eden basin, 262.6 mm of rain fell in 48 hours between the 4th and 6th of December. That's nearly 50 mm more than the average rainfall for the whole of December.

  3) Appleby-in-Westmorland and Carlisle were particularly badly affected more than 2000 properties were flooded in Carlisle alone, leaving many people homeless.
• How much has cattle increase

  2000-2009 30% increase in cattle