Pisuerga

The Río Pisuerga is a Spanish river, a tributary of the Duero, which rises in the municipality of La Pernía, located in the north of the province of Palencia and flows into the Duero river near Geria, in the province of Valladolid.

During part of its journey, it forms the border between the provinces of Palencia and Burgos. In Alar del Rey, a large part of its water is diverted towards the Castilla channel, which is used mainly for irrigation. Its main tributary on the left bank is the Arlanza River and on the right the Carrión River. The Requejada reservoir in Cervera de Pisuerga and the Aguilar reservoir in Aguilar de Campoo are its two largest reservoirs and are located at the headwaters of the river.

Etymology

Its name comes from the place name Pisoraca (Pisóraga > Pisorga > Pisuerga), from the ancient and disappeared Pisóraca, city of the Turmogos, name of an ancient Roman settlement located in what is now Herrera de Pisuerga (Palencia) where the Legio IIII Macedonica was stationed, which undertook the subjugation of the Cantabrian peoples between 19 a. C. and 40 d. C. According to F.Villar and B.M. Prósper, in his "Basques, Celts and Indo-Europeans...", Pisoraca would be an adjective of the previous name of the river, a duplicate pre-Roman hydronym, Pis-ura, Río Pisa, plus the adjectival suffix -ca, which would pass as a qualifier, and then as a name, to the town, and then to the river. According to F.R. Gordaliza, in its "Palencia toponymy", would come to mean, from (Bis= 2)Pis-ur-aga, 2 swamps or places of water.

Tour

The Pisuerga under the Pisuerga Beer Bridge

El Pisuerga in Valladolid

It has its sources in the Covarrés glacier basin, between the Valdecebollas peak and the Híjar mountain range, in the so-called Sel de la Fuente, near Brañosera, (Palencia). The water from springs and snowmelt accumulates at the bottom of the basin, forming small lagoons and streams that drain into a chasm. After traveling 3,000 meters underground, the flow reappears in the Fuente del Cobre (Cueva del Cobre). Later it continues in a SW direction, to turn SE through Tierra de Campos.

Almost all of its route is in a North-South direction, turning West in its final stretch. Numerous stretches of the river serve as the border between the provinces of Palencia and Burgos, almost from Aguilar de Campoo almost to its junction with the Arlanza. After crossing Torquemada, Venta de Baños y Dueñas enters the province of Valladolid. It bathes the banks of Valladolid and Simancas and shortly after Pesqueruela it flows into the Duero River on its right bank in Geria (Valladolid).

At its mouth the flow of the Pisuerga is greater than that of the Duero. The total length of the river is 283 km. The maximum flow registered in the city of Valladolid was 2340 m³/s.

Its tributaries are: Areños River, Lores River, Castillería River, Resoba River, Rivera River, Vaíllo River, Camesa River, Ritobas River, Monegro River, Sauguillo River, Burejo River, Valdavia River, Vallarna River, Odra River, Arlanza river, Carrión river and Esgueva river.

On its route it crosses numerous towns, such as Santa María de Redondo, Cervera de Pisuerga, Aguilar de Campoo, Becerril del Carpio, Alar del Rey, Herrera de Pisuerga, Ventosa de Pisuerga, Olmos de Pisuerga, Naveros de Pisuerga, Lantadilla, Melgar de Yuso, Villodre, Astudillo, Villalaco, Cordovilla la Real, Torquemada, Magaz de Pisuerga, Venta de Baños, Tariego de Cerrato and Dueñas in the province of Palencia; Zarzosa from Río Pisuerga, Castrillo from Riopisuerga, San Llorente de la Vega and Melgar from Fernamental in Burgos; Valoria la Buena, Cubillas de Santa Marta, Cabezón de Pisuerga, San Martín de Valvení, Santovenia de Pisuerga, Valladolid, Arroyo de la Encomienda, Simancas and Geria in Valladolid.

History

The worst flood in history in Valladolid occurred on February 4, 1636. The flood swept away entire streets and 800 houses sank. The water reached the convent of Santa Teresa, where there is a plaque that remembers it.

The largest recorded flood of the XX century occurred on January 3, 1962.

In the 21st century, so far, the worst flood occurred on March 6, 2001.