Numedalslågen

Numedalslågen is a river in Norway. It is considered to be the second longest river in Southern Norway. It is located in the Numedal valley which runs through the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud and Vestland. At 356 kilometres (221 mi) long, it is of the longest rivers in Norway.^[1]

Numedalslågen Lågen
Numedalslågen at Godfarfossen
Location of the river Show map of Vestfold Numedalslågen (Norway) Show map of Norway
Location
Country	Norway
County	Vestland, Buskerud, Vestfold
Municipalities	Eidfjord, Nore og Uvdal, Hol, Rollag, Flesberg, Kongsberg, Larvik
Physical characteristics
Source	Hardangervidda plateau
• location	Eidfjord, Vestland
• coordinates	60.234570°N 7.29217529°E / 60.234570; 7.29217529
• elevation	1,405 metres (4,610 ft)
Mouth	Larviksfjorden
• location	Larvik, Vestfold
• coordinates	59.0376403°N 10.055065°E / 59.0376403; 10.055065
• elevation	0 metres (0 ft)
Length	356 km (221 mi)
Basin size	5,548 km2 (2,142 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	111 m3/s (3,900 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Landmarks	Numedal valley

Location

Numedalslågen begins on the Hardangervidda plateau and it collects in the lake Nordmannslågen which flows into the lake Bjornefjorden before it flows into the main channel of the river. From the Bjornesfjorden, the main river stretches for over 250 kilometres (160 mi) through the counties of Buskerud and Vestfold and then meeting the ocean at the Larviksfjorden at the town of Larvik. Numedalslågen is one of Norway's longest rivers, beginning in Eidfjord and then running through the municipalities Nore og Uvdal, Hol, Rollag, Flesberg, Kongsberg, and Larvik. These municipalities cooperate in the administration and use of resources connected to the river in various projects under the Green Valley (Grønn Dal) umbrella.^[2]

There are a number of hydroelectric plants in the higher range of Numedalslågen. Most of the power potential of the main river is developed, except the stretch between Hvittingfoss and Larvik and Godfarfossen in Dagali. Nore I kraftverk, the first power plant built in the Nore og Uvdal municipality in Buskerud county used Norefallene between Tunhovdfjorden and Rødberg. It was completed in 1928 and was designed by Norwegian architects Carl Buch and Lorentz Harboe Ree. The Nore II kraftverk uses the drop between Rødberg dam and the Norefjorden and was completed in 1947.

Numedalslågen is known for being a good location for salmon fishing, although a parasite known as Gyrodactylus salaris has recently been found in Numedalslågen that may pose a threat to its salmon stock. Among the other fish species of Numedalslågen are trout, eel, and pike.^{[3][failed verification]}

Name

The river is named after the Numedal valley (Old Norse: Nauma). The first element is nauma was the original name of the river. The meaning of that old name is unknown. The last element is lǫgr which means "water" or "river".

Gallery

• 
  Numedalslågen through Kongsberg
• 
  Nybrufoss on Numedalslågen
• 
  Numedalslågen through Larvik
• 
  Numedalslågen in Kongsberg
• 
  Numedalslågen at Skjønne
• 
  Numedalslågen at Komnes in Sandsvær

See also

• Gudbrandsdalslågen
• List of rivers of Norway

References

1. Heggstad, Ragnar; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (1 August 2023). "Numedalslågen". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
2. Tråen, Even; Bjørvik, Tor; Sjulstad, Sølver (2001). Livet langs Numedalslågen (in Norwegian). Oslo. ISBN 8299605601.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
3. "Oppvandring av radiomerket laks i Numedalslågen i 2003 (Norsk institutt for naturforskning. 2003)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2005. Retrieved 29 April 2011.