Gillbach

Gillbach
Map
Location
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Physical characteristics
Mouth 
 • location
Erft
 • coordinates
51°09′37″N 6°41′20″E / 51.1604°N 6.6889°E / 51.1604; 6.6889
Length28.5 km (17.7 mi)[1]
Basin features
ProgressionErftRhineNorth Sea

The stream Gillbach is a tributary to the Erft in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a length of 28.5 kilometres it flows through the cities of Bergheim, Grevenbroich, and Neuss. At the source the Gillbach provides cooling water for the Niederaussem Power Station. As a consequence, the stream is much warmer than most other streams in Central Europe and even hosts tropical fish species like guppies[2] or convict cichlids[3] that have been released by private pet holders.

  1. ^ Hydrographic Directory of the NRW State Office for Nature, the Environment and Consumer Protection (Gewässerverzeichnis des Landesamtes für Natur, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz NRW 2010) (xls; 4.67 MB)
  2. ^ "Jourdan et al. (2014): On the natural history of an introduced population of guppies (Poecilia reticulata Peters, 1859) in Germany". BioInvasion Records. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  3. ^ Emde, Sebastian; Kochmann, Judith; Kuhn, Thomas; Dörge, Dorian D.; Plath, Martin; Miesen, Friedrich W.; Klimpel, Sven (2016). "Emde et al. (2016): Cooling water of power plant creates "hot spots" for tropical fishes and parasites". Parasitology Research. 115 (1): 85–98. doi:10.1007/s00436-015-4724-4. PMID 26374537.