Aarnieu River

The Aarnieu River is one of Alutra’s longest rivers, as well as being the chief river of one of its largest draining systems. From its traditional source of Lake Creebrisht in southwestern Ordrey, it flows generally south and easy for several thousand kilometers to the Aarnieu Delta in the Sedic Sea. With its many tributaries, the Aarnieu’s watershed drains more than a third of Lathadu’s land area, as well as much of southern Ordrey. Humans have lived along the Aarnieu River and its tributaries for tens of thousands of years; most early inhabitants were hunter-gatherers, but some, such as the early mound builders of Lathadu, built prolific agricultural and semi-urban civilizations early on. Quickly, the river became the lifeblood of the region’s inhabitants, and then a vital transportation artery and communications link.

Formed from thick layers of the river’s silt deposits, the Aaernieu embayment is one of Alutra’s most fertile regions; flat-bottomed boats were widely used throughout the 18th century onward to ship agricultural and industrial goods. Because of the substantial growth of Lathadu’s two primary cities, Ushteyghoo and Calleebane, and the larger ships and barges replacing the old boats, the first decades of the 20th century saw the construction of massive engineering works such as levees, locks, and dams, often built in combination. A major focus of this work has been to prevent the lower Aarnieu from shifting into a more southern channel by way of Lake Laaghghoo to the southeast and bypassing Ushteyghoo.

Since the 19th century, the Aarnieu River has also experienced major pollution and environmental problems, notably elevated nutrient and chemical levels from agricultural runoff, the primary contributor to the growing dead zone near its delta in the Sedic Sea.