Yağlıdere stream
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Yağlıdere is a long and highly voluminous stream that flows to Black Sea (Karadeniz in Turkish) in the west end of the Espiye which is the capital town of the Espiye district with same name in Giresun Province in Turkey.
[edit] Description
It has two big and many small tributaries. Tohumluk Deresi, one of its main arms borns in Kurtbeli highland used by nomadic people in summers. Kılıçlar Deresi borns in Erimez. These arms flows to the north in direction to Üçköprü (means "three bridges" in Turkish) of Çakrak village and joint each other there. After this point it is called as "Yağlıdere". In its very narrow valley it flows down to Yağlıdere town which is the district center with same name of the stream. Finally it ends in Black Sea in the west of Espiye town in the seaside. It is 65 kilometers long.
It has really very high flow especially in spring seasons because of high rainfall and snow water coming from its springs located on the snowy hills of Giresun mountains. Thatswhy serious fluids harmed the Yağlıdere town in the past. Recently due to excavations in the bed of stream and pollutions because of solid wastes of Yağlıdere Municipality it needs some protection and habilitation projects which will be supported international organizations.
[edit] Etymology
"Yağlıdere" is a generic compound word in Turkish. "Yağ" means "oil" or "butter", and "Yağlı" means "oily" or "with butter" in Turkish. "Dere" is "stream". Thus "Yağlıdere" can be translated into English as "Oily stream".
Coming to the origin of this name there are two hypothesis we know. According to a local saying from the old people who live in the valley there was a dairy processing center in Çakrak village of Alucra district. This dairy center was collecting raw milk from surrounding villages via a coarse pipeline made from clays, and were discharging dairy wastes such as cheese water and residues to the stream through the village. Dairy wastes on surface of freshwater was appearing as if the stream was oily. Then it was called as "Yağlıdere".
The other version about its name comes from the natural view of the fluids (Pers. comm. by Dr. Z. Cebeci) It has many small stream waterfalls joining to its main bed. Because of these waterfalls of tributaries and sharp falls of its main stream on the rocky bed it is appeared as if its surface covered with a foams layer of milk and/or butter cream. When the old people viewed the scene formed with foams they called it as "Yağlıdere". (See a beautiful view of Yağlıdere in Çakrak Village and an old stone arc bridge over it to prove what it means with its name).
