River Dee Marshes

River Dee
River
View of the Dee at Tongland
Country	Scotland
Region	Galloway
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Loch Ken & River Dee Marshes
Designated	31 August 1992
Tributaries
- left	Tarff Water
- right	Water of Ken
Settlements	Kirkcudbright, Tongland, Bridge of Dee, Glenlochar, Crossmichael, Parton
Source	Loch Dee
Mouth	Kirkcudbright Bay
Length	61 km (38 mi)
Basin	1,050 km2 (405 sq mi)

The River Dee (Scottish Gaelic: Dè / Uisge Dhè), in south-west Scotland, flows from its source in Loch Dee amongst the Galloway Hills, firstly to Clatteringshaws Loch, then into Loch Ken, where it joins the Water of Ken. From there, the Dee flows 15 miles (24 km) southwards to Kirkcudbright, and into Kirkcudbright Bay to reach the Solway. The distance is just over 38 miles (61 km) in total. Together with its tributaries, the Dee's total catchment area is over 400 square miles (1,000 km²).

The river is dammed at Tongland, two miles (3 km) upriver from Kirkcudbright. This was constructed as part of the Galloway hydro-electric power scheme in the 1930s. Also at this site is Tongland Bridge, built in 1806 by Thomas Telford.

The ruins of Threave Castle stand on an island on the lower part of the Dee.

In Ptolemy's 2nd century work Geography it is recorded as Dēoúa. This form represents a development of Proto-Indo-European *deiueh₂- 'a goddess', which occurs in many Celtic river-names.

The Dee has also been known as the Black Water of Dee because of its dark colour in the stretch above Loch Ken.

Loch Ken and the Dee Marshes were together designated a Ramsar site on August 21, 1992.

The Tarff Water enters the Dee as a right-bank tributary near Tongland in the tidal stretch of the river. The headwater streams of the Tarff drain the tract of country between the villages of Laurieston and Ringford including Loch Mannoch. The river should not be confused with the similarly named Tarf Water which is a tributary of the River Bladnoch further west in Galloway.