Göta älv

The Göta älv (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈjø̌ːta ˈɛlv]; "River of (the) Geats") is a river that drains lake Vänern into the Kattegat, at the city of Gothenburg, on the western coast of Sweden. It was formed at the end of the last glaciation, as an outflow channel from the Baltic Ice Lake to the Atlantic Ocean and nowadays it has the largest drainage basin in Scandinavia.

Göta älv
Trollhättan Falls near Göta älv in July 2004
Position of the Göta älv
Location
Country	Sweden, Norway
Physical characteristics
Source	Vänern
• coordinates	58°22′49″N 12°21′30″E
• elevation	44 m (144 ft)
Mouth	Kattegat
• location	Gothenburg
• coordinates	57°41′35″N 11°54′30″E
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	93 km (58 mi)^1
Basin size	50,229.3 km^2 (19,393.6 sq mi)[1]
Discharge
• average	575 m^3/s (20,300 cu ft/s)[2]
Basin features
Designation
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Nordre älvs estuarium
Designated	14 November 2001
Reference no.	1125[3]
1: 720 km including Klarälven and Vänern [2]

The Göta älv is located in Götaland, with the river itself being a site of early Geatish settlement. Its length is 93 km (58 mi). The Bohus Fortress is located by the river at Kungälv. There the river splits into two, with the northern part being the Nordre älv and the southern part keeping the name Göta älv.

At Trollhättan there is a dam, canal locks and a hydropower station in the river. The locks make the river navigable, even for large cargo vessels (88 m [289 ft] long). The artificial parts are called Trollhätte Canal. The river and the canal is part of a mostly inland waterway, Göta Canal, which spans the width of Sweden to the Baltic Sea south of Stockholm.

The power station supplied electric power to the heavy steel industry concentrated around Trollhättan Falls, contributing to its industrial revolution. In the summer months the spillway of the dam is opened for a few minutes daily and tourists gather to see the water rushing down the river (picture).

There are concerns about whether the maximum permitted discharge of 1,000 m³/s (35,000 cu ft/s) is enough in a scenario where heavy rain floods the lake Vänern, causing considerable damage. Previously this was thought not to be possible in reality, but in 2001 the lake was flooded almost 1 m (3 ft) above maximum level (and some upstream lakes like Glafsfjorden flooded 3 m [10 ft]). In this situation, Göta älv was allowed a discharge of 1,100 m³/s (39,000 cu ft/s) for months causing a big risk of landslides. Now a water tunnel between Vänersborg and Uddevalla is considered as a rescue solution.

There is a large risk of landslides along the river and historical records of 15 landslides exist. The largest occurred in the years 1150, 1648, 1950, 1957 and 1977 (Tuve landslide).

Name in other languages

In Old Norse the river was called the Gautelfr;[4] in Icelandic it is Gautelfur; and in Norwegian it is sometimes rendered as Gøtelv.

See also

• Name of the Goths

References

1. "Län och huvudavrinningsområden i Sverige" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
2. "Göta älv". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2010.(subscription required)
3. "Nordre älvs estuarium". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
4. Richard Cleasby and Gudbrand Vigfusson, An Icelandic-English Dictionary, 2nd edn by William A. Craigie (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1957), s.v. Gautar.