Aa (Brabant-Septentrional)

Geography

The source of the Aa is located close to Meijel, in the area of Peel, in the province of the Dutch Limbourg. The river runs towards the west, then transfers towards north to pass between Asten and Someren. Close to Lierop, Aa receives the Kleine Aa. Aa crosses Helmond under the name of Nieuwe Aa (or new Aa ). Between Helmond and Beek in Donk, the river becomes again Aa and receives the Bakelse Aa on its Right Bank. It runs towards north, then it describes a turn full towards the west/north-western which touches Erp, crosses Veghel and passes to the east of Heeswijk-Dinther. After Berlicum, Aa joined Wood-the-Duke at the old village of Hintham. With the locality De Muntel , Aa joined the Dommel and the Zuid-Willemsvaart. Starting from this place, Aa and Dommel form together the Dieze which is thrown in the Meuse in the north of Wood-the-Duke.

Modification of the historical bed with Wood-the-Duke

In the beginning, several branches of Aa circumvented the town of Wood-the-Duke, but as of 1544 the river was deviated to pass nearer to the city, probably with an aim of improving its function of sewer. Between 1822 and 1826, during the construction of the Zuid-Willemsvaart, the connection between Aa and the principal branch of the Binnendieze was cut; since, the river acts as channel of belt in the North-East of the city. When the level of the water of the Meuse is too high to allow the drainage by the Dieze, water of Aa is evacuated via the Culvert discharge of Wood-the-Duke with Drongelen. The direction of the Western channel of belt is then reversed, and Aa passes by the bed of the Dommel until the Vughterpoort , where it joined this discharge culvert.

Affluents

The Bassin pouring of Aa belongs to the Bassin pouring of the Meuse. In the west, the catchment area of Aa is delimited by that of the Dommel, in the east, the area of Peel form the line of demarcation of water.

By going up since the Confluent with the Dommel, Aa counts many Affluent S direct (see the list below) and indirect (not listed). They are primarily Ruisseau X.

Grote Wetering
Leijgraaf
Biezenloop
Hurkse Loop
Landmeerse Loop
Peelse Loop
Snelle Loop
Broek Aa
Boerdonkse Aa or Goorloop
Bakelse Aa or Oude Aa
Weijer
Astense Aa
Busselse Loop
Kleine Aa
Voordeldonkse Broekloop
Eeuwselse Loop
Kievitsloop
Platkuil

History

It is difficult to determine the exact age of Aa. Certain hydrologists affirm that it was born at the time of the last Glaciation, approximately 10.000 years ago. In one preglacial time of the Pleistocene, the Meuse was a Affluent the Rhine, where it was thrown close to Cologne. After the disappearance of the Ice cap, creating the hills of the Veluwe and Utrecht, the rivers were to be formed a new route in these areas of the current Bénélux. The Ardenne separated the valleys from the Meuse and the Rhine, which only approached much more in north, against the solid masses of Veluwe and of Utrecht. At this place, they transfered towards the west to form large the Delta the Rhine - Meuse - the Scheldt. By operation Tectonique was formed the area of the Peel in the east of the Brabant-Septentrional , consisted of Tourbière S. the grounds of the Campine and of Peel their superfluous rain water evacuated towards the historical valley of the Meuse; thus were formed - of west in is - the Reusel, the Beerze, the Dommel and Aa, each one with its clean Affluent S.

The habitat

Some Vestige S dating from the Roman epoch makes it possible to affirm that the man was established along Aa for a long time. It is probable that the river was already navigable at the time Roman. However, it is only with the Bas the Middle Ages that one finds the evidence of a permanent habitat, primarily on Right Bank, where the grounds were higher. On the dorsal hill carrying out of Berlicum via Heeswijk-Dinther and Veghel until Erp is located a whole line of villages, according to the relative heights dominating Aa. Some localities, like Veghel and Middelrode, are even located directly on Aa, probably at the places where it was possible to cross the river to Gué. Middelrode, just like Wood-the-Duke, was founded by the dukes of the Brabant according to a given plan. Initially, the marshy valley of the river did not lend itself to a permanent habitat. Later, these grounds were cleared and used like Prairie S.

In the valley of Aa, one meets several Manoir S and small Château X, attesting the defensive values of this marshy zone.

Aa like inland waterway

In 1573, Philippe II, duke of the the Brabant, authorizes the town of Helmond to return part of navigable Aa. When the first boat connects Helmond to Wood-the-Duke, the voyage return ticket lasted 3 days. The shortage and the high price of fuels with Wood-the-Duke make that in 1625 a new project is designed to arrange Aa. As of 1624 and 1628, the river is thorough at several places, and one created or repaired lock S.

However, the historical events of the time do not allow the projects to succeed. In 1629, Frederic-Henri of Orange-Nassau puts the seat in front of Wood-the-Duke. The seat then the rendering of the city prevent the realization of the project. With two other recoveries, in 1739 and 1798, one arises the ideas of installation, but nothing is done. The common crossings are able to agree neither on the apportionment of costs, nor on work to be engaged. In addition, it was doubted extremely that the committed expenses are never deadened.

In spite of that, some bordering communes persist. When in 1809, the king Louis Bonaparte returns visit to Veghel, the municipal council asks for to him the authorization of drain of Aa, and, in his honor, to call the new channel Lodewijksvaart ( Canal Louis ). Louis Bonaparte is very honoured with the idea, to which it is favorable. However, the political situation makes that the projects do not succeed. Finally, starting from 1823, one builds the Zuid-Willemsvaart. Aa, from now on, will not have any more any function of river transport.

Floods and water mills

From time immemorial, the role principal of this sinuous river was to evacuate superfluous water of the raised sandy grounds, where the majority of the inhabitants had been established. With the growth of the number of inhabitants, one also put in culture the low grounds along the river, in particular with Aarle-Rixtel, Beek in Donk, Veghel and Heeswijk-Dinther. The embarrassment caused by many the Inondation S dates from the setting in culture of these grounds. Formerly, the river was broader and deeper, but its Débit forever be sufficient to evacuate all water efficiently. Especially at the wet seasons, one was regularly faced with the loss of the Recolte and the drowned Bétail (for example with Dinther, in 1757). The current was also blocked by the presence of many water mills (with Lierop, Aarle-Rixtel, Erp, Veghel and Dinther). The millers were accustomed to letting pass water according to their own needs. Thus, at certain places, one met enormous Mare S upstream of the water mills, which often caused floods. The water mills and the behavior of the millers often generated conflicts, at the point where the inhabitants addressed themselves to Charles Quint like mediator. In 1545, it made deepen Aa and it determined the maximum water level that each miller had the right to retain. At the beginning of these ordinances, they remedied the evil, but at the beginning of the Guerre Eighty Year old, they were not respected any more. In the final analysis, the communes try to buy the mills, in order to demolish them. Thus, in 1880, the commune of Veghel became owner of the mill of Kilsdonk, in the south of Dinther. The only goal of acquisition: to remove the threshold and coils it mill, in order to improve the drainage duct and to satisfy the bordering farmers.

Drain of the river

The creation of the Zuid-Willemsvaart put an end to the projects to arrange Aa for the navigation. Later, when in 1864 the Agency of Water Beneden Aa and in 1922 most important Agence of the Water of the Aa transfer the day, one attacked the embarrassments caused by water of Aa.

The drain was started: in a rigorous and final way, all the Méandre S were going to be removed, the river would become very right, from now on, the river would be had a perfect command of. From the years 1930: 1200 workmen worked on the building site, organized to leave there by the organizations the Assistance by work . Manual work was hard and hard: with the shovel, one dug the new sections, one assembled and transported the ground, then the meanders were filled. After the Second world war, the Mécanisation of work made it easier.

Aa at the time modern

Since 2004, the Bassin pouring of Aa is managed by the Agence of Water of Aa in Maas ( Aa and Meuse ). The evolutions of the approach of nature and the landscape made that one starts to preserve the landscapes, even restore them. Thus, one preserves scrupulously some Méandre S remaining, like that close to the Château of Heeswijk. At other places, one recreates the sinuous course of the river, as downstream from Helmond; these meanders are not inevitably at their historical places.

Some great projects were born for (D) arranging or adapting the valley of Aa. The project Dynamisch Beekdal , for example, aims at leaving more place to water in the valley between Heeswijk-Dinther and Wood-the-Duke, in order to make his dynamism natural to the river and to control the occasional problems of flood downstream towards Wood-the-Duke.

Source

(version of June 6th, 2007)
(version of July 14th, 2007)

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