Charlesp (asker) May 21, 2013:

Actually the drainage is acidic That is due to all of the acid rain in Sweden and Scandanavia in general. But I don't want to get into the science of it here.

Deane Goltermann May 21, 2013:

@Anna The acidity comes from the 'myr' in this context which seems to be the source of the water. Agree the term in itself does not seem to imply acidity. Flush vs stream would certainly depend on how the water flows. Otherwise, as Charles says, helpful and useful information!

Charlesp (asker) May 21, 2013:

Thanks Anna. Very, very helpful and useful information. Those referring to this page in the future as a reference will also appreciate this information.

Anna Herbst May 21, 2013:

Nothing to do with acidity "Sur" in the word "surdråg" means "wet" or "damp". The definition of the word in Skoglig ordlista is: Surdråg - Litet område med vattenmättad mark i sänka. http://www.skogsstyrelsen.se/Upptack-skogen/Skog-i-Sverige/S... An explanation of the phenomenon can be found in Skogsskötselsserien Nr 13 p. 14 https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=ph-värde i surdrå... I ett landskap med oregelbunden topografi kommer grundvattnet på sin färd nedåt mot bäckdalar och sjöar att tränga upp till markytan på många lokalt låglänta ställen. Den hydrologiska benämningen på dessa platser (myrar, surdråg, osv) är utströmningsområden.
In view of this, I recommend the previous translation "flush" (se below) be used. Another good alternative is "wet hollow" as suggested by Norskpro on this page. However, "acidic drainage from a bog or a fen" is incorrect.

Deane Goltermann May 17, 2013:

vattendrag - spring, stream ... technically the geology should define this but practically it might not matter for your text. I see 'bog/flush' and 'flush/spring' the latter can be acidic or neutral. The context may help define the 'watercourse' your working with. If it flows openly with 'defined banks' it seems to be more stream, spring and the like. Perhaps 'bog flush' will do. Pleasant reading! I find the science of this too fascinating for my own good (deadline).