Héraðsvötn

Estuary Héraðsvötn, left middle Sauðárkrókur

Héraðsvötn ( German " district ( - ge ) waters ," isl vötn. , The majority of vatn water, lake ) is a river in northern Iceland, which flows into the fjord Skagafjordur.

Most important data

The average amount of water Héraðsvötn is 111 m³ / s, the highest ever measured amount of water was 800 m³ / s, the lowest 40 m³ / s The total catchment area of ​​3650 km ².

Course

The river is formed by the confluence of two of final mountain rivers, the Austari - Jökulsá and Vestari - Jökulsá south of the valley Norðurá. The two glacial rivers come down from the glacier shield Hofsjökull. From the mouth to the sources of approximately equal length glacial rivers is 130 km away. As a broad stream crosses Héraðsvötn the valley and the fjord first branches in Austurkvísl Vesturkvísl and, in turn, as Austurós and Vesturós in the sea lead ( Isl ós " river mouth ").

The island lies between the mouth of arms is called Hegranes. The estuary is located east of the city Sauðárkrókur.

Formation of the valley

Since glacial rivers enter their sediment in him, he managed the river over the centuries, the former fjord basin far out to fill the open sea: Today's horse breeding region owes its emergence.

Obstruction

The wide, ice-cold and often go shooting with a strong current flow was considered in the past as a significant impediment to traffic.

There were some well-known fords, but none of them was considered to be really sure. However, some farmers sided a ferry service with boats. In the 19th century, then constructed similar to the Jökulsá Brú tiny mechanical cabin cable cars across the river.

Under these circumstances, you welcomed it as a great step forward when in 1892 the Vesturós and were installed in 1893 at Austurós ever a cable ferry. 1895 then a bridge over the eastern estuary was built and relocated upriver the local ferry. The western estuary was bridged in 1926, in 1927 they built a bridge over the main river at Grundarstockk.

The present bridge, across which the ring road, dates from 1981 and is 188 m long. It is located east of Varmahlíð.

Fishing and fish

In the river there are both salmon and trout. For fishing and fish you have to pay any fee here.