Agriculture in Syria runoff most of the year. The river flows southeastward across the arid Syrian Plateau into Iraq, where it joins the Tigris River shortly before emptying into the Persian Gulf. In addition to Syria, both Turkey and Iraq use dams on the Euphrates for hydroelectric power, water control, storage, and irrigation. In the mid-1980s, about a half of the annual Euphrates River flow was used by these three countries. Syrians have long used the Euphrates for irrigation, but, because the major systems were destroyed centuries ago, they now make only limited use of the river's flow. In the mid-1980s, the Euphrates
Rainworth Water wetland habitats. Typical of such schemes is an area of wetland at Thieves Wood that would allow run-off from the A60 to deposit silt, and chemical contaminants to be removed before the water enters the main river. It would also create a head of water, which would be released into the river more slowly, levelling out the periods of high flow and low flow. The Environment Agency are responsible for measuring 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