River Brue
| River Brue | |
| River | |
 River Brue and Glastonbury Tor
|
|
| Country | England |
|---|---|
| County | Somerset |
| District | Somerset Levels |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | River Pitt |
| - right | River Alham, Whitelake River |
| Towns | Bruton, Glastonbury, Highbridge |
| Landmark | Westhay Moor |
| Source | |
| - location | Brewham, South Somerset, Somerset, England |
| - coordinates | 51°07′49″N 2°22′43″W / 51.13028°N 2.37861°W |
| Mouth | Bristol Channel |
| - location | Highbridge, Somerset, Somerset, England |
| - coordinates | 51°13′32″N 3°00′13″W / 51.22556°N 3.00361°WCoordinates: 51°13′32″N 3°00′13″W / 51.22556°N 3.00361°W |
| Length | 61 km (38 mi) |
The River Brue originates in the parish of Brewham in Somerset, England, and reaches the sea some 50 kilometres (31 mi) west at Burnham-on-Sea. It originally took a different route from Glastonbury to the sea, but this was changed by Glastonbury Abbey in the twelfth century. The river provides an important drainage route for water from a low-lying area which is prone to flooding which man has tried to manage through rhynes, canals, artificial rivers and sluices for centuries.
The Brue Valley Living Landscape is an ecological conservation project based on the Somerset Levels and Moors and managed by the Somerset Wildlife Trust. The valley includes several Sites of Special Scientific Interest including Westhay Moor, Shapwick Heath and Shapwick Moor. Much of the area has been at the centre of peat extraction on the Somerset Levels. The Brue Valley Living Landscape project commenced in January 2009 to restore and reconnect habitat that will support wildlife. The aim is to be able to sustain itself in the face of climate change while guaranteeing farmers and other landowners can continue to use their land profitably. It is one of an increasing number of landscape scale conservation projects in the UK.
The River Brue originates in hills to the southwest of the catchment area, close to the border with Dorset. The same hills are the locale of the sources of the River Wylye and the Dorset Stour which flow south to the English Channel. It descends quickly in a narrow valley to a point just beyond Bruton where it is joined by the River Pitt. Here it takes a meandering route through a broad, flat-bottomed valley between Castle Cary and Alhampton. By the time it reaches Baltonsborough it is only some 10 metres (33 ft) above sea level and the surrounding countryside is drained into it by way of numerous rhynes. It passes Glastonbury, where it acts as a natural boundary with nearby village of Street, before flowing in a largely artificial channel across the Somerset Levels and into the River Parrett at Burnham-on-Sea. It is joined by the North Drain, White's River (which takes the water of the River Sheppey, Cripps River (an artificial channel that connects it to the River Huntspill) and many drainage rhynes). It is connect to the River Axe through several of these channels which are controlled by sluices. It is tidal below the sluices at New Clyce Bridge in Highbridge.
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Wikipedia