The Dolore () is a French river in the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...

region. It originates in the monts du Livradois and joins the Dore, left bank; hence it is a sub-affluent of the

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

. It is long.

Geography

The Dolore originates at Fournols, in the Livradois range. It flows southward until Saint-Bonnet-le-Chastel. It then turns east, before joining the Dore, left bank, downstream of

Arlanc Arlanc (; oc, Arlanc) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 464 Communes of France, communes of th ...

. The entire river valley is part of the

Livradois-Forez Regional Natural Park Livradois-Forez Regional Natural Park (French: Parc naturel régional Livradois-Forez) is a regional natural park located on three French department : Puy-de-Dôme, Haute-Loire and Loire. The two biggest urban areas are Thiers (19,000 inhabitants ...

Communes

Heading downstream, the river fares through : * Fournols,

Chambon-sur-Dolore Chambon-sur-Dolore (, literally ''Chambon on Dolore''; oc, Vès Chambon de Dolòra) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a ...

, Saint-Bonnet-le-Chastel,

Novacelles Novacelles (; oc, Nòvacela) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 464 communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department of France. ...

Saint-Sauveur-la-Sagne Saint-Sauveur-la-Sagne (; Auvergnat: ''Sant Sauvador de la Sanha'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 464 c ...

, Mayres,

Affluents

* Ruisseau des Moches * Ruisseau du Forestier * Ruisseau de la Farge (sometimes charted 'la Palle') * Ruisseau de la Queue * Ruisseau des Palles * Ruisseau des Mons * Ruisseau de la Combe * Ruisseau de Beligeon

Hydrology

Levels were recorded from 1965 to 2008 at Mayres,Banque Hydro - Station K2834010 - La Dolore à Mayres (option Synthèse)
(ne pas cocher la case "Station en service") with a discharge of , from its confluence with la Dore. The river has well-marked seasonal debital variations. High waters are in winter and spring especially, with average monthly scores of , from December to May (peak in April). The rate drops considerably in June to , and the rate remains low through September, when it declines to . These monthly scores can also however vary yearly or over short periods. Àt low water, the rate can drop to , equivalent to , after a five-year dry period. Given the narrowness of the basin, floods can be quite important, which can reach maximal debits of 14, 21, 26, 31 and for periods of 2, 5, 10, 20 or 50 years respectively. The MID recorded at Mayres on August 1, 1980, was of and rose to a daily total of on March 18, 1988. The basin has a yearly

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...

of , which is above the national average of and even higher compared to the

at about . The average debit hence reached 16.8 L/s/km².

Ecology

Lush in trout, a fair part of the river is included in the

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

programme, a small colony of

Freshwater pearl mussel The freshwater pearl mussel (''Margaritifera margaritifera'') is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae. Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used for this species ...

still present. Though it suffers little from industrial, domestic or

agricultural pollution Agricultural pollution refers to biotic and abiotic byproducts of farming practices that result in contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to humans and their economic interests. The pol ...

, the resinous reforestation of its banks has led to acidification of its waters and spawn clogging.

References

{{Reflist Rivers of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rivers of France Rivers of Puy-de-Dôme