Else(Werre)

Else
The bifurcation. Right: the Else; left: the Hase.
Location	North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony;  Germany
Reference no.	DE: 466
Basin features
Main source	Origin: Bifurcation from the Hase near Melle ca. 79.9 m above sea level (NN) 52°12′16″N 8°15′22″E / 52.20444°N 8.25611°E / 52.20444; 8.25611Coordinates: 52°12′16″N 8°15′22″E / 52.20444°N 8.25611°E / 52.20444; 8.25611
River mouth	Near Kirchlengern/Löhne into the Werre ca. 52 m above sea level (NN) 52°11′56″N 8°40′42″E / 52.19889°N 8.67833°E / 52.19889; 8.67833
Progression	Werre → Weser → North Sea
River system	Weser
Basin size	415.518 km²
Landmarks	Large towns: Melle, Bünde, Löhne Villages: Rödinghausen, Kirchlengern
Population	100000
Tributaries	Left: Oldendorfer Mühlenbach, Zwickenbach, Eickener Mühlenbach, Suttbach, Kilverbach, Bennier Graben, Ahler Bruchgraben, Darmühlenbach, Gewinghauser Bach, Knollerbach, Ostbach (Mühlenbach), Eselsbach, Markbach, Sunderbach Right: Strotbach, Laerbach, Maschgraben, Violenbach, Bruchriede, Mühlenbach, Alte Else, Warmenau, Neue Else with Werfener Bach, Brandbach (Bolldammbach)
Physical characteristics
Length	35.2 km

The Else is a left tributary of the river Werre in the northeast of North Rhine-Westphalia and in southern Lower Saxony. The Else is a distributary of the river Hase and begins at a river bifurcation near Melle.

The River Else does not have a source but originates at a hydrological phenomenon known as a river bifurcation. The bifurcation is near Gesmold (part of the borough of Melle) in Lower Saxony, where the river Else branches off the river Hase (at Hase river kilometre 158.9). The bifurcation may have been created or established artificially; or at least maintained artificially. This is however unclear. In history there were disputes over the distribution of water that was able to be controlled by man-made means. For example, the entire water flow could be diverted either into the River Hase or River Werre during conflicts. Today the Hase loses a third of the its water mass at the bifurcation. The Hase flows northwest to the Ems, while the Else flows east to the Weser.

The River Else flows slowly through the Ravensberg Hills and through the wetlands known as the Else meadows (Elseauen). The Else and Werre valleys, which were formed during the ice age, are bordered in the south by the Teutoburg Forest and in the north by the ridge of the Wiehen Hills. After the bifurcation in Melle the river flows east into North Rhine-Westphalia, passing the state border at river kilometre 19.2 and crossing Rödinghausen and Bünde, before discharging, after a distance of approximately 35 km, into the Werre near the eastern edge of Kirchlengern. The Werre swings east at its mouth by almost 90°, thus aligning itself with the west-to-eastern course of the Else. The River Else passes under the A 30 federal motorway three times (at Gesmold (km 33), at Bruchmühlen (km 22) and at Bünde (km 15). The Else Valley Bridge crosses the river at Kirchlengern. The Else is dammed several times along its length. A particularly large number of weirs is located on the lower reaches between Bünde and its mouth; the Else's velocity here is controlled over a short distance by 4 weirs.