river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP (; oc, Aups d'Auta Provença; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the w ...

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label= Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.Cavaillon,

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label= Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune had ...

. *

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and ...

. The Durance's largest

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

is the Verdon. The Durance itself is a tributary of the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

and flows into the Rhône near

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label= Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune had ...

. The Durance is the second longest (after the Saône) of the tributaries of the Rhône and the third largest in terms of its flow (after the

Saône The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name d ...

and

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo ...

root *''dreu''- ('to run, walk fast'). Similar names are found in the names of many rivers in the Western Alps: Dora in Italy, Dranse in Haute-Savoie, and the

Drôme Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.

in south-eastern France. All these rivers have their sources in mountains, and are fast-running. The Durance retains its name rather than either the Clarée or Guisane, even though the latter two are longer than the Durance when they each merge. The Durance is better known than the other two rivers because the Durance valley is an old and important trade route, whereas the valleys of the Clarée and Guisane are effectively dead ends.

Hydrography

The Durance is long from its source at the foot of Sommet des Anges, at high, above Montgenèvre, to its

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

with the Rhône. However, a longer route is traced by the Clarée-Durance system with a length of . Its descent is unusually rapid at 81 m/km (165 ft/mi) in its first , then 15 m/km (30 ft/mi) to its confluence with the ,Clébert & Rouyer, ''Durance'', p.35. and then still nearly 8 m/km (16 ft/mi) to the confluence with the Ubaye. This descent stays relatively steep after this confluence, then shallows to approximately 0.33% in its middle course (to the Mirabeau bridge), then 0.24% in its lower course. For comparison, at approximately from its source, the

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

.

Departments and main towns crossed

The river only runs through the towns of Briançon and

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label= Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...

— built where the banks are very steep — the other towns are built on slopes close to the river: * Hautes-Alpes ** Briançon ** Embrun *

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP (; oc, Aups d'Auta Provença; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the w ...

**

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label= Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...

** Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban *

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.Pertuis **

Cadenet Cadenet () is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Cadenétiens'' in French. Geography Cadenet is a village located on the southern slopes of the L ...

** Cavaillon *

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and ...

**left bank of the Durance. The Durance catchment area extends to three other departments: Var,

Drôme Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.

and

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, ...

. The Durance is the longest river in Metropolitan France without a department named after it.

Source to Serre-Ponçon

The source of La Durance is on the northern slope of the , where the first small streams combine into a river. This runs near to Montgenèvre and then flows into the larger Clarée river, and then passes through Briançon before the Guisane joins it. It then continues south combining with the Gyronde — the Écrins glacial stream — at L'Argentière-la-Bessée. The confluence with the

Guil The Guil (french: le Guil) is a long river in the Hautes-Alpes ''département'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .

occurs below Guillestre and

Mont-Dauphin Mont-Dauphin (; oc, Montdaufin) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. At the confluence of Durance and Guil rivers, overlooking the impressive canyon of the latter flowing down from Queyras valleys, Mont-Dauphin is ...

. The Durance then flows south-south-west and flows into the Lac de Serre-Ponçon just downstream of Embrun. The confluence with the

Ubaye The Ubaye (; oc, Ubaia) is a river of southeastern France. It is long and flows through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department. Its drainage basin is . The middle part of the Durance runs through a landscape that changes as the valley increasingly widens. The river itself becomes steeply banked by terraces, and carves a channel, sometimes a few metres deep, sometimes tens of metres deep. In its middle and lower reaches the Durance is affected by the Mediterranean climate: flooding after autumnal rains, with low water levels in summer. Just before the narrow gap in the mountains at Sisteron, the Durance joins Buëch and the . Water also flows in from the EDF Canal. Beyond Sisteron further rivers and streams join the Durance: Jabron, Vançon,

Bléone The Bléone (; oc, Blèuna) is a long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence ''département'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .Les Mées and from the Asse (river) a few kilometres to the south of Oraison. The Verdon flows into the Durance near Cadarache. The valley widens still further into an alluvial plain several kilometres wide ( near

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

). Here the river was diverted for the development of modern agriculture and the construction of the A51 motorway. There are several dams along the middle part of the Durance. In addition to main dam at Serre-Ponçon, there are dams at Espinasses, Sisteron, L'Escale and Cadarache. There are small canals whose primary purpose is to draw water from the river into the EDF Canal which in turn feeds the hydroelectric power stations. Some of the water diverted by the dams is used for irrigation.

Mirabeau to Avignon

The valley narrows for a few kilometres until the water gap at Mirabeau, at a depth of , then widens again into an even broader plain until the confluence with the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

south of

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label= Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune had ...

. Its direction changes from southerly to westerly then northwesterly, aligning with the small Provençal mountain ranges between which it flows (

Alpilles The Chaîne des Alpilles is a small range of low mountains in Provence, southern France, located about south of Avignon. Geography The range is an extension of the much larger Luberon range. Although it is not high - some 498 m (1,634 ...

and Luberon). The Durance receives only one significant tributary on this last part of its course: the

Calavon The Calavon (french: le Calavon, also called ''le Coulon'') is an long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Vaucluse ''départements'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .capricious Capricious may refer to: * Capricieuse, also spelled Capricious, a solitaire card game * Capricious (cheese), an aged goat's milk cheese See also * Arbitrary and capricious In law, the standard of review is the amount of deference given by one ...

", alternating between its feared

flash floods A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flow ...

(it was called the ''third plague'' of Provence) and its low water levels. The upper Durance is an alpine river with a flow ranging from . Its total drainage area is .Serge Gachelin, ''The Major Hydrographic Network of the Area'', p.7-8. At the confluence with

Ubaye The Ubaye (; oc, Ubaia) is a river of southeastern France. It is long and flows through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department. Its drainage basin is .salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus '' Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Onco ...

used to thrive, and

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

were found up as far as Sisteron, before the development of the river. Later it becomes a Mediterranean river with the characteristic morphology.

Flow

The sources of the water are a combination of melting snow and the drainage of rain from the surrounding hills and plateaux which have a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

. The latter's tributaries bring rain water mainly in spring, autumn and winter but little during the summer. At Serre-Ponçon, its basin of can create a flow as low as and a maximum flood of (value recorded in 1957). At the confluence with the Rhône, the average natural flow of the Durance is approximately , with a high annual variability. It can vary between (the most severe low water levels) and in catastrophic historic floods, levels reached in 1843, 1882 and 1886. At the outlet into the Lac de Serre-Ponçon, the medium flow is ; at Oraison it is and after the confluence with the Verdon, flow reaches (250 to 330 m³/s in spring, 100 m³/s in the summerGéraldine Bérard, ''Archaeological chart Alp-of-High-Provence'', Academy of the Inscriptions and the Humanities, Paris, 1997, p.51.). The contribution of water from the downstream tributaries is very low. The annual maximum flow generally occurs in May or June, but the most violent flash floods occur in autumn. The lowest water levels occur in winter in the upper valley, and in summer in the middle and lower part of the river.

Flash floods and low water levels

The river is famous historically for its unstable course and violent floods. In the 12th century the Durance had swept away the town of ''

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...

'' (between Briançon and Embrun, with the confluence of Biaisse) . These increased in number and force from the second half of the 16th century, though lessened in the 20th century. The period of increased flooding was not only due to the cooling starting from the 14th and until the 19th century (with increased rain and snowfall), but also because the major deforestation of the slopes of the mountains of the basin of the Durance, starting from the 16th century. Between 1832 and 1890, the Durance had 188 floods of more than (measured at the Mirabeau Bridge). The flood of 1843 carried away several newly built suspension bridges: the 1829 bridge at Remollon, the 1835 bridge at Mirabeau, the unfinished bridge at Manosque and the 1838 bridge at Les Mées. The flood of 1872 also swept away the 1847 bridge at Mallemort. The catastrophic floods of 1843, 1856, 1886 attained For comparison, the

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributa ...

flooding of 1910 was estimated at approximately . Even lesser floods were devastating. The flood of 31 May and 1 June 1877 swept away the bridge of

Tallard Tallard (; oc, Talard) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Location Tallard is to the south of Gap, close to the road from Gap to Marseille. The motorway A51 ends jus ...

. In the 20th century, the floods were less frequent and violent thanks to the dams and the re-afforestation in the Durance basin, but there were still serious floods in 1957 and 1994 with maxima measured at Mirabeau and at Sisteron of ; and this volume was increased at the confluence with the Verdon by a further . The height of the water at the gorge at Cadarache is at , after an average of of rain because 63% of the rain flows into the Durance. At Mirabeau, the lowest flow was (during the drought of 1921) i.e. a ratio of 1:133 between minimum and maximum.

Islands

Three types of islands are formed in the bed of the Durance: * gravel banks, brought by the floods, and generally without or with little vegetation; * sand and silt banks, which can be highly fertile for plants like willow. These are only ever swept away by exceptional floods; * accumulations of tree trunks and branches.

Principal bridges

Hautes-Alpes : * Pont de Savines on Lac de Serre-Ponçon (on route nationale RN94) (length 924 metres). Alpes-de-Haute-Provence : Barrage de l'Escale26

* Old bridge to Baume at

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label= Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...

* Viaduct of the A51 autoroute south of Sisteron * Dam/bridge at L'Escale (Route nationale RN 85). This replaced the Trébaste Bridge, 1962-3 * Railway viaduct on the line from Saint-Auban to

Digne Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte ...

* Steel girder bridge at Les Mées (road D4a) * Pont de La Brillanne (road D4b) * Aqueduct at Villeneuve (canal EDF). * Pont de Manosque (road D907) Between the Vaucluse and the Bouches-du-Rhône : * Viaduct on the A51 autoroute between

Beaumont-de-Pertuis Beaumont-de-Pertuis (, literally ''Beaumont of Pertuis''; oc, Bèumont de Pertús) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Beaumont de Pertuis is a small village situated in the ...

and Cadarache * Pont de Mirabeau (road ex-RN96) * Suspension bridge at Pertuis * Suspension bridge at Mallemort LGV - St Jacques Cavaillon pont sur Durance 2 - By JM Rosier

LGV - St Jacques Cavaillon pont sur Durance 2 - By JM Rosier

* Three viaducts for LGV Méditerranée at Cavaillon (length - 940, 900 et 1500 metres) * Twin viaducts for Route nationale RN7 and for the A7 autoroute at Bonpas * Suspension bridge at Rognonas (road D970) to the south of Avignon * Rail viaduct for the old Paris - Marseille line south of Avignon.

Management of the course

Dams and canals

Dams have been built since the Middle Ages to prevent flooding. At first they were often boxes of wood filled up of stones, but these do not resist the floods for long. Dams have also long been used for irrigation. The first known irrigation canal is the , dug in 1171 by the Marquis de Forbin. It was followed by the

Adam de Craponne Adam de Craponne (; 1526–1576) was a French engineer. He built the eponymous Canal de Craponne to irrigate the ''Désert de la Crau''. He was poisoned while fortifying Nantes for King Henry III of France during the French Wars of Religion Ear ...

canal, long, dug in nine months in 1554 from to

Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province ...

), the canal des Alpilles, the

canal de Marseille The Canal de Marseille is a major source of drinking water for all of Marseille, the largest city in Provence, France. The canal along its main artery is long but has additional of minor arteries. Its construction lasted 15 years and was directed ...

, the , the , the canal de Ventavon, and the hundreds of other smaller ones, totalling dug between the end of the 16th century and the end of the 19th century.

Marseille Canal

From 1839 to 1854, the engineer Franz Mayor de Montricher built a canal to supply the city of

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

with drinking water. It is long with underground. The canal is made out of concrete, and the aqueducts out of stone or stone and brick. The volume of water flowing through the canal is with the slope of . The width across the surface of the canal is , and at its base. The water was first abstracted near the bridge of Pertuis, at an elevation of , from Marseilles. From there the canal diverges to the west from the Durance to Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade. Following the construction of the large EDF canal, which follows the Durance from Serre-Ponçon until

Salon-de-Provence Salon-de-Provence (, ; oc, label= Provençal Occitan, Selon de Provença/Seloun de Provènço, ), commonly known as Salon, is a commune located about northwest of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d ...

and the

Étang de Berre The Étang de Berre (in Provençal Occitan: ''estanh de Bèrra / mar de Bèrra'' according to classical orthography, ''estang de Berro / mar de Berro'' according to Mistralian orthography) is a brackish water lagoon on the Mediterranean coast ...

, the water for the canal of Marseilles is now taken from the EDF canal, below Saint-Estève-Janson. From there to Marseille the canal follows an path, of which is underground. The Durance provides today two-thirds of the water for the city of Marseilles.

Hydroelectric installation

In 1955, the law defined the EDF Durance-Verdon project had three objectives: * production of electricity; * irrigation and the supply of water to towns; * minimisation of the flooding. Over 40 years, this project required the construction of 23 dams and water extraction points starting upstream of Claux sur Argentiere down to Mallemort and the supply of 33 hydroelectric power stations and several control stations. This programme was an almost complete success: * the Durance-Verdon project produces 6 to 7 billion kWh per annum (10% of the French hydroelectric production); * the reservoirs provide drinking water to the whole area, and irrigate all of Provence (a third of all French irrigation); * the lakes are a tourist attraction (Serre-Ponçon attracts 10% of the tourists visiting Hautes-Alpes); * although routine floods are prevented, the project cannot have any effect on major floods, as shown by the flood of 1994, which reached in Cadarache. Indeed, the lake at Serre-Ponçon only controls the upper reaches of the Durance, and does not control the lower tributaries, whose role is important in the creation of the major floods. All the other dams are only to abstract water. Only the flow of the Verdon is controlled by a dam,

Lac de Sainte-Croix The Lake of Sainte-Croix (french: lac de Sainte-Croix) is a man-made lake that was formed by the construction, between 1971 and 1974 (when it was put into service) of a reinforced-concrete arch dam by the name of . It is fed by the Verdon river, ...

, and only if there is enough storage capacity at the time of the flood.

Impact of the works

The Durance used to have an average natural flow of and behaved like a Mediterranean river, but dams and canals have changed it considerably. When the flow is low, most of the water in the river now flows in "industrial channels" which by-pass the natural course of the river to run through hydro-electric power stations. These channels can take up to , so that it is only at the time of high flows that the water not diverted uses the river's natural channel. Viaduc de Roquefavour

Ecology

Along the river there are many habitats of both regional and European importance that are naturally governed by the varying flow of the river. These habitats include both mountain and Mediterranean types. The river with its valley is an important biological corridor, within the national green infrastructure and the Pan-European ecological network. Consequently, it is classified as a

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, respecti ...

protected area. Currently there are between 150 and 200 species of benthic

macroinvertebrates Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

, but with few plant species (due to the greatly changing flow of the river). Water quality is considered good in the higher valley, in spite of the number of dams, which deprive the Durance of the power needed to carry sediment away. This quality was obtained thanks to actions of clean-up projects on the river itself and on the tributaries of the Luye and Calavon (also called le Coulon)). There remain some black spots in the valley (downstream from the

Arkema Arkema S.A. is a publicly listed, multi-national manufacturer of specialty materials, headquartered in Colombes, near Paris, France. It has three specialty materials segments (or divisions); adhesives, advanced materials and coatings. A furt ...

factory at Château-Arnoux, below the confluence with the Calavon.Jean Giudicelli and Karine Viciana, "The Durance today", Direction of the environment, of sustainable development and agriculture, ''The Durance: bond of life of the territory régional'', .l.: District council PACA, pp.59-60. The depth variation results in significant temperature variations, from seasonally; daily temperatures have of amplitude in the summer and in the winter. These are a significant factor in the biodiversity of the river. The dams in the valley have reduced the incidence of floods and so have allowed the colonisation of alluvial space by alder and poplar in riparian forests. The banks, although less wet, still accommodate 110 species of birds during the year, plus 82 species of

migratory birds Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting b ...

, which rest, feed and sometime reproduce. One-hundred-ten species of animal hibernate there. Avian diversity increased after the dams were built, but there was probably once a greater diversity. For some families of birds the number of individuals also increased. There are approximately 75 species of mammals in the Durance catchment area, including: Eurasian beaver, southwestern water vole, Eurasian water shrew, many species of bat (barbastelle (''

Barbastella barbastellus The western barbastelle (''Barbastella barbastellus''), also known as the barbastelle or barbastelle bat, is a European bat in the genus ''Barbastella''. This species is found from Portugal to Azerbaijan and from Sweden to Canary Islands, whe ...

'', large murine ('' Myotis myotis''), large rhinolophe ('' Rhinolophus ferrumequinum''), minioptère of Schreibers (''

Miniopterus schreibersi The common bent-wing bat (''Miniopterus schreibersii''), also known as the Schreibers's long-fingered bat or Schreibers's bat, is a species of insectivorous bat. They appear to have dispersed from a subtropical origin and distributed throughout ...

''), small murine ('' Myotis blythii''), small rhinolophe ('' Rhinolophus hipposideros''), vespertilion with indented ears (''

Myotis emarginatus Geoffroy's bat (''Myotis emarginatus'') is a species of vesper bat. Description ''M. emarginatus'' is a medium-sized bat with long and woolly fur. The dorsal side of the torso is rust-brown to fox-red and the ventral side is a poorly delineat ...

''), and vespertilion of Capaccini (''

Myotis capaccinii The long-fingered bat (''Myotis capaccinii'') is a carnivorous species of vesper bat. It is native to coastal areas around the Mediterranean Sea, as well as a few patches of land in western Iran. Due to the fact that its population is in decline, ...

'')). invasive are becoming more problematic including

coypu The nutria (''Myocastor coypus''), also known as the coypu, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent. Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' is now included within Echimyidae, the family of t ...

and the recently arrived

muskrat The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habita ...

.

Otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes we ...

s have recently become extinct in the entire catchment area. Durance near Manosque

The populations of

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular micr ...

and water plants (100 species on average) and water

invertebrates Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordat ...

(77 species) are more varied than before the dams compared with populations on the similar

Asse Asse () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It comprises the towns of Asse proper, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem and Zellik. Asse is also situated in the Pajottenland. As of 2020, Asse had a total ...

and Buëch. '' Ludwigia'', the primrose willow, is an invasive plant having gradually spread since 1986 in the stagnant water in dead gravel pits and ponds. There are only fourteen fish species, including some native species:

souffia The souffia or western vairone (''Telestes souffia'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Romania, ...

, south-west European nase and large populations of '' Zingel asper'' and

spined loach The spined loach (''Cobitis taenia'') is a common freshwater fish in Europe. It is sometimes known as spotted weather loach, not to be confused with the "typical" weather loaches of the genus '' Misgurnus''. This is the type species of the spi ...

which are both

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

of fish. But the silting and the lack of oxygen has greatly reduced the number of

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

. The European brook lamprey has been seen in recent times but it may have disappeared since.

History

The Durance played a very important part in the history of

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...

, and largely contributed to the economic growth and population of the Marseilles area, after having been an obstacle for centuries. From

Antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

until the 19th century, the Durance was famous for the difficulty of crossing it, its massive floods and an inconstant flow. The width of its bed, the force and depth of its current, and the changes of course after the floods hindered crossing by ford. The only durable fords are those of Mirabeau and Pertuis, obviously unusable in periods of floods. The changes in the flow also limited river navigation (in spite of size of the river in periods with a high flow. It sometimes needed several ferries to cross the various arms or channels. The unstable and sometimes steep banks prevented easy access to ferries. In more recent times even suspension bridges often had to be re-built after floods.

Prehistory

Twelve million years ago, the Durance flowed directly into the Mediterranean. During the

Riss glaciation The Riss glaciation, Riss Glaciation, Riss ice age, Riss Ice Age, Riss glacial or Riss Glacial (german: Riß-Kaltzeit, ', ' or (obsolete) ') is the second youngest glaciation of the Pleistocene epoch in the traditional, quadripartite glacial classi ...

, the source of the Durance was at Sisteron, where the icecap finished.Clébert & Rouyer, "La Durance", pp.11-12. As the ice-cap receded, the Durance course changed towards the west, between Luberon and Alpilles, and flowed into the Rhône.

Antiquity

Commerce du vin sur la Durance (époque gallo-romaine)

In pre-Roman times, the Durance was the border between various

Celto-Ligurian The Ligures (singular Ligur; Italian: liguri; English: Ligurians) were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day north-western Italy, is named. Ancient Liguria corresponded more or less to the current Italian regi ...

people established along its course, such as the Cavares ( Cavaillon) and the Salyes (

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and ...

).

The valley of the Durance is a route through the Alps, used by the

Via Domitia The Via Domitia was the first Roman road built in Gaul, to link Italy and Hispania through Gallia Narbonensis, across what is now Southern France. The route that the Romans regularised and paved was ancient when they set out to survey it, and ...

. A statue of

Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; la, Ianvs ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Jan ...

was erected at Montgenèvre, the only passage between

Cisalpine Gaul Cisalpine Gaul ( la, Gallia Cisalpina, also called ''Gallia Citerior'' or ''Gallia Togata'') was the part of Italy inhabited by Celts ( Gauls) during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. After its conquest by the Roman Republic in the 200s BC it was ...

and

Gallia Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was th ...

Strabon (1st century) reported that a ferry was established in Cavaillon,Barruol, ''The Durance length in large'', pp.31-32, 39-40. The great Roman way from Spain to Italy only crossed the Durance at Cavaillon and Sisteron. The existence of a bridge at Sisteron was recorded. At other places there were ferries, in particular at Pertuis, whose name is based on it ferry. Although it was difficult to cross, except in Sisteron, the Durance was nevertheless navigable. The

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

s at

Cabrières-d'Aigues Cabrières-d'Aigues (; Provençal: ''Cabrièras d'Egues'') is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also * Côtes du Luberon AOC *Communes of the Vaucluse department * Étang ...

depict the river being used for the transport of various liquid food products such as wine and olive oil. Gallo-Romans used the towpaths () and the wind to move upstream. Several specialized businesses maintained this system transport. Workers known as ''nautes'' had a

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...

of transport on large rivers and used boats, whereas the operated on the small rivers and in the marshes using rafts floating on inflated goatskins. There were two groups of utriculari, one in Sisteron and one in Riez.Barruol, ''The Durance length in large'', p.32-36. This trade fed the activity of an important port, near to the crossroads at Sisteron, at the place called 'Le Bourguet'. In the vicinity of L'Escale a port existed before the Roman conquest, but was developed during the 1st century BC, and was prosperous until the Crisis of the 3rd Century, before recovering its economic activity until the beginning of the 5th century.

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, the county of Forcalquier stretched all along the Durance, from Cavaillon to La Roche-de-Rame, close to Embrun. From the 12th to the 19th century, the river was used for

floating timber Floating may refer to: * a type of dental work performed on horse teeth * use of an isolation tank * the guitar-playing technique where chords are sustained rather than scratched * ''Floating'' (play), by Hugh Hughes * Floating (psychological ...

downstream, in particular by the monks of , who were given the privilege in 1191 to use the river.) The timber was used in the towns of the southern plains and in the shipyards. Other goods were transported by the river, including

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

, those these were subject to ten tolls along the of the river. Sisteron 2004

The bridge of Sisteron, erected in the Middle Ages remained until the middle of the 19th century, the only crossing between two firm banks along the Durance. After the year 1000, the number of ferries increased, including some

Cable ferries A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

plied between the two banks of the main channel. The oldest known one was the one between La Roque-d'Anthéron and

Cadenet Cadenet () is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Cadenétiens'' in French. Geography Cadenet is a village located on the southern slopes of the L ...

(in Gontard), recorded in 1037.Barruol, ''The Durance length in large'', p.48. This ferry at Cadenet and one at Mirabeau were used to transport flocks of sheep for seasonal migrations. Thereafter, there is evidence of ferries at many other places notably Rognonas,

La Brillanne La Brillanne (; oc, La Brilhana) is a commune in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in southeastern France. Population Its inhabitants are referred to as ''Brillannais''. See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department ...

(13th century), Noves,

Orgon Orgon (; ancient: ''Urgonum'', ''Castrum de Urgone'') is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. Geography Neighbouring villages and small towns include Les Baux-de-Provence, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and Cavaillon. O ...

, Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, Meyrargues, Pertuis, Peyrolles, that of Cante-Perdrix in Mirabeau,

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

, Giropey, Château-Arnoux, Le Bourguet, Volonne, . Other ferries were established to supply the windmills built at the end of the 18th century in , Upaix and Claret. Nevertheless, the ferry services were scarcer than on the Rhône with a ferry every on average, versus every on the Rhône. Starting from the 12th century, wood bridges were also built. They lasted varying times until they were destroyed in various ways: * at Maupas (now Pont de Bonpas at Caumont), at the end of the 12th century until its destruction by the Count of Toulouse in 1241; * at Mirabeau, the beginning of the 13th century, close to Sainte-Madeleine-du-Pont; * at Savines, the most used bridge on the Upper Durance (built in the 15th century) * the ancient bridge of Sisteron which was rebuilt in 1365.

19th century

In 1843, 1856, 1882 and 1886 there were catastrophic floods. The 1852 floods affected the entire basin of the Durance, from Sisteron to its confluence in

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label= Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune had ...

. It washed away many cultivated alluvial terraces, broke dams and destroyed canals. The irrigation syndicates and the local services that maintained the roads and bridges requested exceptional help from the State. A service to monitor the river was created, the ''Service spécial de la Durance'', in order to study the hydrology of the river, using the kilometre-long divisions from 1868 between the confluence with the Verdon with that with the Rhône. This division allows surveying and mapping of the land at risk. The construction of the Marseille canal in the middle of the 19th century allowed the metropolitan area of Marseille to develop quickly.

20th century

The Durance was ceased to carry freight because of competition from road and rail. There were only 10 raftmen remaining in 1896 and only one in 1908. Hydroelectric installations and chains of locks on the Durance, and its tributaries the Verdon, Buëch and Bléone had the most significant economic impacts and are the most visible change in the landscape. The major part of the flow was diverted into canals downstream from Serre-Ponçon, and the flow in the river's natural bed is a minimal flow of , which is only 1/40 of its natural flow. The silt in the river bed has become stabilised by vegetation and this also reduces the flow. Thanks to the reservoirs at Serre-Ponçon and Sainte-Croix, which together can hold more than 2 billion tonnes of water, irrigation remains possible in summer even during the driest years. The predictable water levels have also allowed development of the local economy through summer tourism. Beginning in the 1950s,

aggregate Aggregate or aggregates may refer to: Computing and mathematics * collection of objects that are bound together by a root entity, otherwise known as an aggregate root. The aggregate root guarantees the consistency of changes being made within the ...

was extracted from the river bed for road surfacing and wear-resistant concrete. The majority of the quarries have closed or are closing. The few factories that used the river's energy have closed (an aluminium factory at L'Argentière-la-Bessée) or are being closed (Arkema at Saint-Auban). At Cadarache an experimental nuclear fusion reactor,

ITER ITER (initially the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, ''iter'' meaning "the way" or "the path" in Latin) is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject aimed at creating energy by replicating, on Ear ...

, is under construction. 4/67 Durance Helicopter Squadron created in 1976, is charged with protecting the air force base at Apt-Saint-Christol and the nuclear missile site at Plateau d'Albion.

In the arts

Marseille Palais Longchamp Zentralsektion JD25032007

The Durance is represented in the form of an ornate monument at the Palais Longchamp, in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

, built between 1862 and 1869 by the architect Espérandieu, to celebrate the arrival of water from the Durance, via the

Canal de Marseille The Canal de Marseille is a major source of drinking water for all of Marseille, the largest city in Provence, France. The canal along its main artery is long but has additional of minor arteries. Its construction lasted 15 years and was directed ...

. It is also depicted beneath a sculpture of a pregnant woman in

Charleval, Bouches-du-Rhône Charleval () is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department The following is a list of the 119 communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department of France. ...

. References in literature include: *

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

refers to the Durance as one of the three scourges of

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...

* poets Adolphe Dumas (1806–1861), Félibrige, republican and traditionalist,

Paul Arène Paul-Auguste Arène (26 June 1843 – 17 December 1896) was a Provençal poet and French writer. Biography Arène was born in Sisteron, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the son of Adolphe, a clockmaker, and Reine, a cap presser. He studied in Marseille, ...

,

Clovis Hugues Clovis Hugues (November 3, 1851 – June 11, 1907) was a French poet, journalist, dramatist, novelist, and socialist activist. He wrote some of his works in Provençal and un 1898 was elected a of the Félibrige, a society for the promotion of ...

and Élémir Bourges who referred to this river; * the best known writer to be inspired by the Durance, Jean Giono, who makes use of it in his imaginary geography of Provence, transforming it into river that flows to the sea and he refers to it as masculine,According to P. Citron, ''Giono'', Threshold, 1990. and describing its flow through the water gap at Sisteron without mentioning the town, then describing an imaginary Rebeillard highland.Clébert & Rouyer, "La Durance", pp.180-183. '' Horseman on the Roof'' is also set along the course of the Durance. Among the painters to have represented it are Guigou and

Monticelli Monticelli may refer to: Places in Italy ;Municipalities (''comuni'') * Monticelli Brusati, in the Province of Brescia * Monticelli d'Ongina, in the Province of Piacenza * Monticelli Pavese, in the Province of Pavia * Monte San Biagio, in the ...

, close friends, who settled in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance and made many paintings where it appears, either as background, or as subject (86 of the 421 paintings by Guigou). The Romanian surrealist painter, Victor Brauner, took refuge in 1942 in Remollon and made several paintings on materials that he found. For several years a club has revived the tradition of rafting, each year building rafts from tree trunks then navigating a section of the Durance with them. An FM local radio station is called Radio Durance. In French cinema is the setting of the film L'Eau vive by

François Villiers François Villiers (2 March 1920 – 29 January 2009) Chevalier of the Legion of Honor was a French film director. He was responsible for several films, from '' Hans le marin'' in 1949, to '' Manika, une vie plus tard'', in 1989, which won th ...

is during the construction of the dam at Serre-Ponçon. ''La Durance'' is also the name of an academic bulletin by history and geography professors at Aix-Marseille.

Other

The is a series of multi-product replenishment oilers, originally designed and built for service in the French Navy.

Notes and references

Bibliography

* Direction of the environment, of sustainable development and agriculture, ''The Durance: bond of life of the territory régional'', District council PACA, 106 pp. *Claude Gouron, photographer, Helene Vesian, author of the texts,

Pierre Magnan Pierre Magnan (19 September 1922 – 28 April 2012) was a French crime fiction writer. Early life Pierre Magnan was born on 19 September 1922 in Manosque. At the age of 13 he started working as a typographer and two years later started to wr ...

, preface writer, ''The Durance: photographic voyage from the Alps in Provence'', Avignon: Alain Barthélemy, 2002. * Henri Julien, and Jean-Marie Gibelin, ''You, Durance'', Barred, ED. Terradou, 1991, . * * Cecile Miramont, Denis Furestier, Guy Barruol, Catherine Lonchambon, ''The Durance length into broad: ferries, boats and rafts in the history a carpricious river'', Forcalquier: the Alps of light, 2005, Collection: The Alps of light, ISSN 0182-4643, num. 149,120 p, . * * Jean-Paul Clébert and Jean-Pierre Rouyer, "La Durance", Privat, Toulouse, 1991, in the collection ''Rivers and valleys of France'', .

Video

* Jacques Sapiega, ''The Durance, course & regard'', District council PACA, 2004

External links

Discover the Durance on Notreprovence.frOfficial site of Savines-Le-Lac
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090330074326/http://www.geographie-geomatique.ac-aix-marseille.fr/durance/index.html A course on work done on the Durancebr>Mixed syndicate working on the valley of the Durance
(DIREN) {{Authority control Rivers of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Rivers of Bouches-du-Rhône Rivers of Hautes-Alpes Rivers of France Rivers of Vaucluse Rivers of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Rivers of the Alps Braided rivers in France