Eden Basin

• The Eden Basin is in south-west England between the Lake District and the Pennines
• The River Eden flows through Cumbria
• The River Eden's source is in the Pennines in south Cumbria
• Carlisle is located at the mouth of the River Eden at the Scottish border
• The River Eden is largely rural, although it does flow through the city of Carlisle
• The upland areas that drain into the River Eden experience high rainfall that can cause flooding
• Carlisle is particularly vulnerable to flooding as it is at the confluence of the Eden, Petteril and Caldew rivers, and is fairly low-lying
• The Eden Basin


  • Higher than the national average rainfall
  • Long and relatively narrow basin
  • Steep slopes within the basin
  • Made up of different types of rock - impermeable in the west, permeable in the east
• More intensive farming has caused soil to become compacted

  Reduces infiltration, so surface runoff is higher
• Grazing in upland areas has reduced vegetation that can intercept rainfall


  Increases the amount of water reaching rivers
• Increased development in the Eden Basin

  Surfaces tend to be impermeable, reducing infiltration and increasing surface runoff
• Some new developments in the Eden Basin have been built on floodplains, creating a flood risk and requiring the construction of flood defences
• Deforestation has taken place in the Eden Basin for thousands of years, reducing infiltration and increasing flood risk
• Climate change is predicted to increase winter rainfall in the Eden Basin, decreasing infiltration and increasing flood risk
• Storm Desmond in December 2015 caused devastating flooding in the Eden Basin, with record rainfall and over 2000 properties flooded in Carlisle
• The hydrograph shows the River Eden's response to Storm Desmond, with a rapid increase in water levels
• There are opportunities for fieldwork investigations in river basins, such as measuring factors affecting flows and stores in the water cycle, or the response of a river to precipitation