View source for The Rythe

{{Short description|River in north Surrey, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2017}}
[[File:TheRythe01.JPG|thumb|right|A forked headwater of the Rythe Claygate]]
[[File:TheRythe02.JPG|thumb|right|The Rythe in Littleworth Common]]
'''The Rythe''' is a tributary of the [[River Thames]] in north [[Surrey]], England. It runs through woodland for approximately half of its course, but is also culverted and passes through suburban gardens. It joins the Thames between [[Thames Ditton]] and [[Long Ditton]]. Its longest branch is the '''Arbrook''' which drains Arbrook Common, a woodland area of [[Esher Commons]].

==Course==
The Rythe rises at several sources, the furthest being four sources in [[Prince's Coverts]] (woodland), all in the parish and [[wards of the United Kingdom|ward]] of [[Oxshott]] where on its northern edge it combines to form the Arbrook.<ref name=exact>[http://www.achurchnearyou.com/parishfinder.php?oxshott Oxshott parish map] The Church of England.</ref>

It runs under the six-lane [[A3 road (Great Britain)|A3]] into wooded Arbrook Common there joined by three further headwaters rising in the suburban village of [[Claygate]], immediately to the east ([[bank (geography)|right bank]]).<ref name=exact/><ref>[http://www.claygate.info/aboutus/default.asp?Content_ID=64 Monograph No 4: More on boundaries and old maps]</ref> The Rythe carries on north bounding Littleworth Common and [[Hinchley Wood]] to the [[Scilly Isles, Surrey|Scilly Isles]] roundabout at part of a remnant of the wooded Ditton Marsh, now part of [[Esher]]. It then follows the Portsmouth Road east through part of Thames Ditton and alongside the [[South West Main Line]]. It receives its shorter east branch (rising in Surbiton Golf Course, Long Ditton) then turns running into the Thames near Ferry Road, 800 metres north.<ref>[http://www.thamesditton.com/content/view/5/37/ Thames Ditton Virtual Village Village Boundaries]</ref>

The Rythe has many clay banks and its lack of depth and width at pinch points has been implicated in flash flooding in gardens and drainage systems, particularly for its mid-course headwaters in Claygate. A flood alleviation scheme was therefore drawn up in 2002 between flood alleviation authorities. Some of its course is owned by landowners.<ref>[http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/46052_battle_lines_drawn_in_sewer_inquiry  Paul McManus ''Battle lines drawn in sewer inquiry'' Get Surrey 12/11/2002]</ref> The Rythe discharges into the [[River Thames|Thames]] dividing [[Thames Ditton]] from [[Long Ditton]] to the east on the reach above [[Teddington Lock]] on the north-western border of the county of Surrey with the edge of the administrative county of [[London]]. Its lowest section lies in Thames Ditton.

==Water quality==
The Environment Agency measures the water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of [[invertebrate]]s, [[angiosperm]]s and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations, is rated good or fail.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/help/glossary |website=Catchment Data Explorer |title=Glossary (see Biological quality element; Chemical status; and Ecological status) |publisher=Environment Agency |date=17 February 2016}} [[File:UKOpenGovernmentLicence.svg|30px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under an [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright.</ref>

Water quality of the Rythe in 2019:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Section !! Ecological<br/>Status !! Chemical<br/>Status !! Overall<br/>Status !! Length !! Catchment !! Channel
|-
| {{waterqual_title |desc= Rythe |asset= GB106039017650}} 
| {{waterqual_poor}} 
| {{waterqual_fail}} 
| {{waterqual_poor}} 
| {{convert| 5.099 |km|mi|abbr=on}}
| {{convert| 20.04 |km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
| Heavily modified
|}

==See also==
*[[Tributaries of the River Thames]]
*[[List of rivers of England]]

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|River Rythe}}

{{S-start}}
{{River confluence start|River=[[River Thames]]}}
{{River item line|upstream=[[River Ember]] <br> [[River Mole, Surrey|River Mole]] (south)  
|downstream=[[Longford River]], Raven's Ait (north)}}
{{S-end}}

{{coord|51.391|-0.326|type:river_region:GB-SRY|display=title}}

{{Hydrology of Surrey}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Rivers of Surrey|Rythe]]
[[Category:Thames drainage basin|1Rythe]]