Ätran (river)

Ätran is a Swedish river. The river is about 240 kilometres (150 mi) long, and has its source in Gullered, Västergötland, at a height of 332 metres (1,089 ft) above sea level. The river has its mouth in Falkenberg, Halland, where the river enters Kattegat.

Ätran
Ätran in Falkenberg, late-August 2004
Path of the river
Location
Country	Sweden
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Gullered, Västergötland
• coordinates	57°46′21″N 13°33′28″E
• elevation	332 m (1,089 ft)
Mouth	Kattegat
• location	Falkenberg
• coordinates	56°53′18″N 12°28′39″E
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	240 km (150 mi)[1]
Basin size	3,342.2 km2 (1,290.4 sq mi)[2]
Discharge
• average	47 m3/s (1,700 cu ft/s)[1]

The drainage basin covers an area of 3,343 square kilometres (1,291 sq mi), mostly consisting of forest. The river is well known as a good place for fishing. It is comparatively unpolluted.

A historic road, Redvägen, followed the river, along which several medieval battles took place.

Path, tributaries and drainage basin

Area/tributary[citation needed]	Drainage basin (km2)	Average water flow (m3/s)
Ätran, upstream Åsunden	650
Ätran, between Åsunden and Assman	379	8
Assman (Lillån)	652	9.5
Ätran, between Assman and Kalvån	45	24.5
Kalvån (Lillån)	514	8.2
Ätran, between Kalvån and Högvadsån	370	33.5
Högvadsån	476	8.5
Ätran between Högvadsån and the Sea	257	49
Total/Final	3,343	52.5

The river passes through several minor lakes in Västergötland (Sörsjön, Nolsjö, Vinsarpsjö and Lönnern). By the time it reaches Åsunden, it is about 1 to 2 meters deep and 6 to 10 meters wide. As the tributaries named Lillån join the river, it grows considerably in size.^[3]

The largest tributary is Högvadsån. Other main tributaries are Assman (Lillån), which join the river close to Örsås church, and Kalvån (Lillån), which join the river close to Östra Frölunda church.

Ätran in June 2010

The drainage basin include the major parts of Falkenberg, Svenljunga, Tranemo and Ulricehamn Municipalities. Smaller parts of Falköping, Borås, Gislaved, Mark, Hylte, and Varberg Municipalities are also part of the drainage basin. Within the basin, 64 percent of the area is forest, 6 percent is lakes, 7 percent is bogs, 11 percent is fields, and 12 percent is other.

The largest lakes within the basin are Åsunden (33.9 km²), Fegen (24.2), Sämsjön (9.2), Lönern (7.7) and Kalven (6.6). In total, there are about 200 km² of lakes within the basin. A record of the water flow at Yngeredsfors Power Station has been kept; it was on average 37.2 m³/s from 1909 to 1967. The maximum flow was 275 m³/s, while the minimum flow was between 5 and 7 m³/s.

References

1. "Ätran". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 July 2010. (subscription required)
2. "Län och huvudavrinningsområden i Sverige" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
3. Nordisk familjebok: Ätran