River Teviot

{{Short description|River in Scottish Borders, Scotland}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=March 2025}}  {{Infobox river | name = River Teviot | native_name ={{native name|gd|Abhainn Tìbhiot}} | image = River Teviot.JPG | image_size = | image_caption = View of the River Teviot | image_alt = | map = | map_size = | map_caption = | map_alt = | pushpin_map = Scotland Scottish Borders#Scotland | source1 = | source1_location = Scotland | source1_coordinates= {{coord|55.331|-2.955|display=inline,title}} | source1_elevation = | mouth = | mouth_location = Scotland | mouth_coordinates =  | mouth_elevation = | progression = | river_system = River Tweed }}

The '''River Teviot''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|iː|v|i|ə|t}}; {{langx|gd|Abhainn Tìbhiot}}), or '''Teviot Water''', is a river of the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and is the largest tributary of the River Tweed by catchment area.<ref>{{cite web |title=River Tweed SSSI |url=https://apps.snh.gov.uk/sitelink-api/v1/sites/1366/documents/1 |website=apps.snh.gov.uk |access-date=4 March 2020 |page=1 |format=PDF}}</ref> The Teviot is an important river for wildlife, especially the Atlantic salmon, but in recent years has witnessed at least four extreme flooding events.

==Course==

It rises in the western foothills of Comb Hill on the border of Dumfries and Galloway. It flows north-eastwards through Teviotdale and past Teviothead, the Colterscleuch Monument, Broadhaugh, Branxholme and Branxholme Castle.<ref name="OS1">{{cite map|title = Teviotdale South |map =331 |year =2015 |scale =1:25,000 |series =Explorer |publisher =Ordnance Survey |isbn =9780319245835 }}</ref>

The Teviot passes through Hawick and Lanton, past the Timpendean Tower and the village of Ancrum, Harestanes and Monteviot, Nisbet and Roxburgh, before joining the River Tweed to the southwest of Kelso.<ref name="OS2">{{cite map|title = Galashiels, Selkirk & Melrose|map =338 |year =2017 |scale =1:25,000 |series =Explorer |publisher =Ordnance Survey |isbn =9780319245903 }}</ref><ref name="OS3">{{cite map|title =Kelso, Coldstream & Lower Tweed Valley |map =339 |year =2015 |scale =1:25,000 |series =Explorer |publisher =Ordnance Survey |isbn =9780319245910 }}</ref>

The Borders Abbeys Way keeps close company with the Teviot on its journey to the Tweed.<ref>{{cite web |last1=www.jameskirby.me.uk |title=Long Distance Walkers Association |url=https://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Borders+Abbeys+Way |website=www.ldwa.org.uk |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref>

==Catchment and hydrometry== The river flows across a lowland catchment with shale underlying the surface. The headwaters are mostly moorland, woodland and some hill grazing. More intensively worked land for agriculture is found nearer the eastern end of the river where it flows into the Tweed.<ref>{{cite web |title=21008 - Teviot at Ormiston Mil |url=https://nrfa.ceh.ac.uk/data/station/spatial/21008 |website=nrfh.ceh.ac.uk |access-date=4 March 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

The river is prone to flooding with serious events in Hawick in 2005 when it caused "millions of pounds' worth of damage", and the river level was recorded at {{convert|3.3|m|ftin|order=flip}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Progress on Â£44m Hawick flood defences welcomed |url=https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/news/progress-aps44m-hawick-flood-defences-welcomed-277564 |access-date=4 March 2020 |work=The Southern Reporter |date=9 July 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SEPA Water Levels - Teviot @ Hawick |url=https://www2.sepa.org.uk/waterlevels/default.aspx?sd=t&lc=15001 |website=www2.sepa.org.uk |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref> After two more extreme flooding events in 2015, and 2016 (when Jedburgh and Hawick saw water levels rising more than {{convert|5|ft|m|1|abbr=on|disp=or}} in an hour),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Swerling |first1=Gabriella |title=Hundreds flee homes as floods hit |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=%22River%20Teviot%22&docref=news/15AA90EE2DE8DE60 |access-date=4 March 2020 |work=infoweb.newsbank.com |date=28 January 2016|url-access=subscription}}</ref> a £44 million scheme was launched to provide the town with the requisite flood defences needed to extreme events occurring.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Smyth |first1=Kirsty |title=£44m Hawick flood defence works still on schedule despite six-month hold-up hitting part of project, say council bosses |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&page=6&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=%22River%20Teviot%22&docref=news/1749DD68B2F63808 |access-date=4 March 2020 |work=infoweb.newsbank.com |date=11 July 2019}}</ref> Delays to the scheme meant that it wasn't started until 2020, by which time the town was subjected to extreme flooding again when Storm Ciara hit in January 2020. Flooding was so bad, that one restaurant on the bank of the river collapsed into the floodwaters.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Janiak |first1=Kevin |title=Popular Hawick restaurant collapses into raging river Teviot |url=https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/news/weather/popular-hawick-restaurant-collapses-raging-river-teviot-1394116 |access-date=4 March 2020 |work=The Southern Reporter |date=9 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Flood 'near miss' highlights need for £44m scheme |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-51135660 |access-date=4 March 2020 |work=BBC News |date=16 January 2020}}</ref>

==Economy== The river is used by the Borders Whisky Distillery at Hawick for cooling water and processed water.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Paul |title=Online film reveals progress being made on £13m Hawick whisky distillery |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&page=6&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=%22River%20Teviot%22&docref=news/1661C126F52BB1C0 |access-date=4 March 2020 |work=infoweb.newsbank.com |date=6 August 2017|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Historically, the river had many mills along its length, and the site of one in Hawick, at Cobel Cauld, is to be used with a reverse Archimedes Screw to generate hydroelectricity. The plan was approved in 2019, with an expected completion date of 2021. The plant is hoped to generate 300 megawatt hours per year; enough to power 100 homes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Joseph |title=Plans for water turbine in River Teviot at Hawick given thumbs-up |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&page=1&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=%22River%20Teviot%22&docref=news/1732CD6C27C3C388 |access-date=4 March 2020 |work=infoweb.newsbank.com |date=2 May 2019|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==Ecology== The river was designated as a site of special scientific interest in 2001. The designation applies to the full length of the river and other tributaries of the River Tweed. The Teviot is noted for its wildlife, including salmon, otters, lamprey and forget-me-nots.<ref>{{cite news |title=Special Interest in River Teviot |url=https://www.hawick-news.co.uk/news/special-interest-in-river-teviot-1-173206 |access-date=4 March 2020 |work=Hawick News |date=2 November 2001 |language=en}}</ref> The river is an important site for breeding grounds of the Atlantic salmon.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Heddell-Cowie |first1=M. |title=Importance of the River Teviot to Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, rod catches in the River Tweed, Scotland |journal=Fisheries Management and Ecology |date=April 2005 |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=137–142 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2400.2004.00435.x}}</ref>

== Tributaries == The principal tributaries of the Teviot are the Allan Water which enters its right bank at Newmill, the Borthwick Water which enters its left bank between Branxholme and Hawick, the Slitrig Water which enters via the right bank in Hawick itself,<ref>{{cite web |title=Explore georeferenced maps - Map images - National Library of Scotland |url=https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=55.42373&lon=-2.79186&layers=168&b=1 |website=maps.nls.uk |access-date=14 March 2020 |archive-date=6 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006094833/https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=55.42373&lon=-2.79186&layers=168&b=1 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the Ale Water entering via the left bank at Ancrum, the Jed Water on the right bank just downstream and the Kale Water which enters on the right bank between Crailing and Roxburgh.<ref name="OS1"/><ref name="OS2"/><ref name="OS3"/>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-35419003 Flooding from 2016] * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-51436367 Building collapses into river in 2020]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Teviot}} Category:Rivers of the Scottish Borders Category:Tributaries of the River Tweed 1Teviot