Gala Water

The Gala Water is a river in the Scottish Borders that flows south-southwest from Falahill to join the River Tweed near Galashiels. It drains upland areas of the Moorfoot Hills, where hill grazing, forestry and arable land mix across its catchment. The Heriot Water joins it from the west, a larger tributary before they meet. The river is sometimes called simply the ‘Gala’, sharing its nickname with the town it passes through. A well-known local song, ‘The Braw Lads O Gala Watter’, celebrates people from Galashiels. The river has shaped the town’s history, powering textile mills since the 18th century. By the late 1700s there were three water-powered waulk mills, and Wilderhaugh Mill became the first mechanised woollen mill in 1790. Dozens more mills followed in the 19th century, using water and later steam. In 2016 a study proposed modern hydro-electric turbines, aiming for 150 kW initially and up to 400 kW if developed. Flooding has repeatedly threatened Galashiels, with serious events in 1894, 1931 and 2012. Today the Gala Water runs beside the Borders Railway, which crosses it fifteen times, and the A7 road runs largely on its eastern side. A flood prevention scheme completed in 2014 protects 140 properties and parts of the town centre. The river’s depth at the Galashiels gauging station usually stays between 0.19 and 1.38 metres, though it has reached 2.88 metres in heavy floods. Its average flow is 3.76 cubic metres per second, with peaks over eighty cubic metres recorded.