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City Of York Council

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Rivers

The city of York owes its existence to the Rivers Ouse and Foss. These natural barriers made it an ideal defensive site which was settled by the Romans in AD71.  From this time onwards the rivers continued to play an important part in York's history.  In Viking times Jorvik, as the city was then called, became a major river port and part of the extensive Viking trading routes throughout northern Europe. Over the many hundreds of years following this the rivers have brought both invaders and much trade into the city. With reorganisation of local government in 1996 the River Derwent now forms part of the council's eastern boundary.

For information on user and interest groups, please see the websites to the right of this page.

In this section:

  • River Ouse
    The length of the Ouse in the Yorkshire region is a fascinating area to explore. A succession of historic towns and the city of York are connected by this wide waterway, with expansive water-meadow scenery and a wide variety of wildlife
  • River Foss
    The source of this river is a spring situated adjacent to, and flowing into, Oulston Reservoir near Newburgh Prior, 4 miles north of Easingwold. From there to the Blue Bridge in York, where it joins the River Ouse, it is 19.5 miles in length
  • River Derwent
    The River Derwent rises on Flyingdales Moor within the North York Moors National Park and from there it flows for 115 miles before reaching the River Ouse at Barmby on the Marsh
  • Flooding and warping
    Many of York's riverside footpaths and parks regularly become unusable when river levels are high. Once river levels recede and when re-flooding is not thought to be imminent, riverside footpaths are cleared of silt, mud and debris. This is known locally as warping
  • Fishing
    York's rivers, lakes and ponds offer excellent fishing opportunities
  • Lifebelts
    We provide lifebelts along both the Rivers Ouse and Foss in the city centre and at Rawcliffe Lake and Chapman's Pond
  • Water quality
    The Environmental Agency is responsible for maintaining or improving the quality of fresh surface and underground water in England and Wales