The Schwalm ( German ) or Swalm ( Dutch ), is a small river in Germany and the Netherlands , tributary to the river Meuse . Its source is near Wegberg , in the district Heinsberg , south-west of Mönchengladbach , in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). The Schwalm flows through Wegberg and Brüggen before flowing into the Meuse across the border with the Netherlands, in Swalmen . Its total length is 45 km.
12-474: The original source region has since become an area of carr with poor water quality. The water of the Schwalm comes mainly from Rheinbraun 's waste water pits. This brown coal open cast mine is required to feed the waste water into the surface water. Otherwise it would fill the mine, which is up to 230 metres deep.This is achieved by means of shafts ( Schlitzschächten ) through which the water flows back into
24-514: A habitat for endemic and other wildlife. Characteristic water-tolerant trees include alder and willow . The word carr derives from the Old Norse kjarr , meaning "brushwood" in the word kjarr-mýrr , meaning " marsh overgrown with brushwood." Other descendants of kjarr include Icelandic kjarr "brushwood"; Norwegian kjarr, kjerr "brushwood"; Danish kær "swamp", Swedish kärr , same meaning. Reed bed A reedbed or reed bed
36-607: Is a natural habitat found in floodplains , waterlogged depressions and estuaries . Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As reedbeds age, they build up a considerable litter layer that eventually rises above the water level and that ultimately provides opportunities in the form of new areas for larger terrestrial plants such as shrubs and trees to colonise. Artificial reedbeds are used to remove pollutants from greywater , and are also called constructed wetlands . Reedbeds vary in
48-483: Is a type of waterlogged wooded terrain that, typically, represents a succession stage between the original reedy marsh and the likely eventual formation of forest in a sub - maritime climate . Carrs are wetlands that are dominated by shrubs rather than trees . The carr is one stage in a hydrosere : the progression of vegetation beginning from a terrain submerged by fresh water along a river or lake margin. In sub-maritime regions, it begins with reed -marsh. As
60-1663: Is characteristic of reedbeds. It also commonly occurs in unmanaged, damp grassland and as an understorey in certain types of damp woodland . Most European reedbeds mainly comprise common reed ( Phragmites australis ) but also include many other tall monocotyledons adapted to growing in wet conditions – other grasses such as reed sweet-grass ( Glyceria maxima ), Canary reed-grass ( Phalaris arundinacea ) and small-reed ( Calamagrostis species ), large sedges (species of Carex , Scirpus , Schoenoplectus , Cladium and related genera ), yellow flag iris ( Iris pseudacorus ), reed-mace ("bulrush" – Typha species), water-plantains ( Alisma species), and flowering rush ( Butomus umbellatus ). Many dicotyledons also occur, such as water mint ( Mentha aquatica ), gipsywort ( Lycopus europaeus ), skull-cap ( Scutellaria species), touch-me-not balsam ( Impatiens noli-tangere ), brooklime ( Veronica beccabunga ) and water forget-me-nots ( Myosotis species). Many animals are adapted to living in and around reedbeds. These include mammals such as Eurasian otter , European beaver , water vole , Eurasian harvest mouse and water shrew , and birds such as great bittern , purple heron , European spoonbill , water rail (and other rails ), purple gallinule , marsh harrier , various warblers ( reed warbler , sedge warbler etc.), bearded reedling and reed bunting . Constructed wetlands are artificial swamps (sometimes called reed fields ) using reed or other marshland plants to form part of small-scale sewage treatment systems. Water trickling through
72-643: The Maas-Schwalm-Nette Nature Park , its riverbed running between the rivers Rur , Nette and Niers . Of its total length from this source to its mouth on the Meuse , near the village of Swalmen at about 12 m above NN , 13 kilometres of the river run through Dutch territory. Parts of the river which, for example, run past the villages of Wegberg , Niederkrüchten , Schwalmtal , Brüggen-Born , Brüggen and Swalmen , form natural meanders . The catchment area of
84-460: The groundwater . If it were not for these shafts, the rivers Niers and Schwalm would long since have dried up. This would also destroy the mixed alder and ash wet woodland typical of the region. The source of the Schwalm is in a wetland area south of the German village of Wegberg - Tüschenbroich at an elevation of about 85 m above NN . From there the river flows mainly through
96-489: The Schwalm is 268.7 square kilometres, of which around 27 square kilometres lie in the Netherlands. The carr and heath / bog areas along the Schwalm provide a diverse habitat for fauna and flora . Frogs , dragonflies , damselflies , bluethroat , kingfisher and golden oriole are to be found as are water crowfoot , bog myrtle and other rare plants. brown trout , barbel and chub are at home in
108-567: The reedbed is cleaned by microorganisms living on the root system and in the litter. These organisms utilize the sewage for growth nutrients , resulting in a clean effluent . The process is very similar to aerobic conventional sewage treatment, as the same organisms are used, except that conventional treatment systems require artificial aeration. Treatment ponds are small versions of constructed wetlands which uses reedbeds or other marshland plants to form an even smaller water treatment system . Similar to constructed wetlands, water trickling through
120-437: The reeds decay, the soil surface eventually rises above the water, creating fens that allow vegetation such as sedge to grow. As this progression continues, riparian trees and bushes appear and a carr landscape is created – in effect a wooded fen in a waterlogged terrain. At this stage, overall, unlike the overwhelming acidity of decaying reeds, the pH is not too acidic and the soil is not too deficient in minerals, making
132-533: The river; along the river banks are also various members of the eter water rat family. This article related to a river in North Rhine-Westphalia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Dutch Limburg location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in the Netherlands is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Carr (topography) A carr
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#1732780256784144-666: The species that they can support, depending upon water levels within the wetland system, climate, seasonal variations, and the nutrient status and salinity of the water. Reed swamps have 20 cm or more of surface water during the summer and often have high invertebrate and bird species use. Reed fens have water levels at or below the surface during the summer and are often more botanically complex. Reeds and similar plants do not generally grow in very acidic water. In these situations, reedbeds are replaced by bogs and vegetation such as poor fen . Although common reeds are characteristic of reedbeds, not all vegetation dominated by this species
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