The Gier () is a French river that flows in a northeast direction through 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 ...
and
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. It 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 ...
, which it enters from the right bank. The Gier valley was formerly heavily industrialized with coal and iron mines and factories.
Name
The word "Gier" derives from the Latin ''Jaresis'', which also gave rise to the name côté Jarez for the north side of the valley of the Gier,
and is included in the names of several municipalities:
Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez
Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez () is a commune in the Loire department in central France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Loire department
The following is a list of the 323 communes of the Loire department of France.
The communes cooperate ...
,
Saint-Paul-en-Jarez
Saint-Paul-en-Jarez () is a commune in the Loire department in central France.
Geography
The Dorlay river, a tributary of the Gier that rises in the Pilat massif, flows through the commune.
Population
Twin towns
Saint-Paul-en-Jarez is twin ...
,
Saint-Romain-en-Jarez,
La Tour-en-Jarez
La Tour-en-Jarez () is a commune in the Loire department in central France.
Population
Twin towns
La Tour-en-Jarez is twinned with:
* Vörstetten, Germany
See also
*Communes of the Loire department
The following is a list of the 323 commu ...
,
Saint-Christo-en-Jarez,
Rive-de-Gier and
Saint-Romain-en-Gier
Saint-Romain-en-Gier () is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.
It lies on both sides of the Gier river
See also
*Communes of the Rhône department
The following is a list of the 208 communes of the Rhône department of Fra ...
.
Geography
The Gier rises at La Jasserie on the Perdrix mountain at about in the
Pilat massif
Mont Pilat or the Pilat massif is a mountainous area in the east of the Massif Central of France.
Name
The origin of the name "Pilat" is uncertain.
The word may have a Latin origin (''Mons Pileatus'').
Another legend says that the body of Pontiu ...
.
The "Saut du Gier" waterfall near the head of the river is in the
Pilat Regional Natural Park
Pilat Regional Natural Park (French language, French: ''Parc naturel régional du Pilat'') is a protected area of mountainous countryside in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of southeastern France. The park spans the Departments ...
.
The river runs for before joining the Rhône at
Givors
Givors (; frp, Givôrs) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France.
Location
It lies at the confluence of the Rhone and the Gier about south of Lyon and on the main road between that city and Sain ...
.
The Gier receives the
Janon from its left at
Saint-Chamond St Chamond may refer to:
* Saint Chamond otherwise Annemund, bishop of Lyon
* Saint-Chamond, Loire, a French town named after him
* Saint-Chamond (manufacturer), informal name for the ''Compagnie des forges et aciéries de la marine et d'Homécour ...
.
The Janon from Terrenoire (now part of
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Saint-Étienne is the t ...
) to Saint-Chamond, and then the Gier from Saint-Chamond to Givors, create a valley in the coal basin between the Pilat massif to the south and the Riverie chain of the
Monts du Lyonnais The ''Monts du Lyonnais'' are a range of low-altitude mountains and eastern foothills of the Massif Central located in the Loire and Rhône departments in France.
Geography
The monts du Lyonnais' highest summit is the ''crêt Malherbe'' (946 m).
...
to the north.
The right (south) side of the valley is mountainous, mainly covered with trees or pasture, with relatively few people.
The right bank streams flow from the
Pilat massif
Mont Pilat or the Pilat massif is a mountainous area in the east of the Massif Central of France.
Name
The origin of the name "Pilat" is uncertain.
The word may have a Latin origin (''Mons Pileatus'').
Another legend says that the body of Pontiu ...
. They are the Janon, upstream Gier, Onzion,
Dorlay
The Dorlay () is a river that flows through the Loire department, France. It is a tributary of the Gier, which in turn is a tributary of the Rhône. The Gier valley was formerly heavily industrialized with coal and iron mines and factories.
Basi ...
, Egarande,
Couzon
Couzon () is a commune in the Allier department in central France.
Population
Economy
The economy is based around forestry, agriculture and most people have small holdings. This region was prized for its clay and there are many old 'Tuileri ...
, Grand Malval, Mezerin and Combe de l'Enfer. The largest are the upstream Gier with a basin of about , the Dorlay with a basin of , the Couzon with a basin of and the Janon with a basin of .
The left (north) side of the valley is hilly, sandy terrain.
The left bank streams flow from the Monts du Lyonnais.
They are the Langonand, which flows into the Janon, Mornante, Ruisseau des Arcs, Faverge, Durèze, Collenon, Féloin and Bozançon.
The largest are the Durèze with a basin of about and the Bozançon with a basin of about .
The Bozançon defines the border on the Jarez side between the Loire and Rhone departments.
The Gier basin has a total area of about .
There are dams on the upper Gier, the Dorlay and the Couzon.
Hydrology
The throughput of the Gier was observed over a period of 45 years (1964–2008) at
Givors
Givors (; frp, Givôrs) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France.
Location
It lies at the confluence of the Rhone and the Gier about south of Lyon and on the main road between that city and Sain ...
, a city of the
Rhône department
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 ...
located at the confluence of the Rhône.
The watershed of the river is .
The average rainfall in the Gier watershed is annually, much lower than the overall average for France.
The average flow of the river is per second.
Gier has seasonal fluctuations typical of rivers of the French Massif Central that are partly fed by melting snow.
High waters are in winter and spring, and the average monthly flow is per second from November to May, with a maximum in November followed by a second peak in May. Flow is lower in summer, from July to September, with a decrease of the average monthly rate to the level of in August.
Flow can drop as low as in a dry year.
Significant floods are quite common.
J. B. Chambeyron, the historian of
Rive-de-Gier, talks of a flood in 1684 where the waters from Saint-Chamond to Givors rose to the first floor above ground level.
The maximum instantaneous flow recorded was per second on 2 December 2003,
while the maximum daily value was the same day.
During the night of 1–2 November 2008 the center of
Rive-de-Gier was devastated by flooding, as were many surrounding towns such as
Saint-Romain-en-Gier
Saint-Romain-en-Gier () is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.
It lies on both sides of the Gier river
See also
*Communes of the Rhône department
The following is a list of the 208 communes of the Rhône department of Fra ...
and
Givors
Givors (; frp, Givôrs) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France.
Location
It lies at the confluence of the Rhone and the Gier about south of Lyon and on the main road between that city and Sain ...
.
The water reached a depth of in some streets, and many shops were flooded.
History
![Rive de Gier autrefois 4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Rive_de_Gier_autrefois_4.jpg)
In Roman times the river was used to supply water to
Lugdunum
Lugdunum (also spelled Lugudunum, ; modern Lyon, France) was an important Roman city in Gaul, established on the current site of Lyon. The Roman city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, but continued an existing Gallic settlem ...
(old
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
) through the
aqueduct of the Gier
The Aqueduct of the Gier (French ''Aqueduc du Gier'') is an ancient Roman aqueduct probably constructed in the 1st century AD to provide water for Lugdunum (Lyon), in what is now eastern France. It is the longest and best preserved of four Roman ...
.
The opening of the
Givors canal
Givors (; frp, Givôrs) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France.
Location
It lies at the confluence of the Rhone and the Gier about south of Lyon and on the main road between that city and Sa ...
from
Rive-de-Gier to
Givors
Givors (; frp, Givôrs) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France.
Location
It lies at the confluence of the Rhone and the Gier about south of Lyon and on the main road between that city and Sain ...
in 1781 contributed to the early industrialization of the valley.
The
Saint-Étienne–Lyon railway
The Saint-Étienne to Lyon line is a railway linking Saint-Étienne to Lyon. The line was built between 1828 and 1833 by Camille Seguin and Marc Seguin at a cost of 14,500,000 FRF.
History
Construction
Construction began in September 1 ...
was opened in 1833, the first French railway open to travelers.
It follows the path of the Janon from Terrenoire to Saint-Chamond, and then the Gier to the Rhone.
In the 19th and 20th centuries the Gier brought water and energy to many factories in the Gier valley.
In the 19th century these ranged from factories making silk and lace products to steel mills.
The Barrage du Piney, a dam, was built on the Gier at near
La Valla-en-Gier
La Valla-en-Gier () is a commune in the Loire department in central France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Loire department
The following is a list of the 323 communes of the Loire department of France.
The communes cooperate in the f ...
between 1953 and 1955, with a capacity of .
It is no longer in service and is kept permanently empty.
The Barrage de Soulages, another dam, was built on the Gier at between 1968 and 1970, with a capacity of .
Urbanization
The main axis of the Gier valley today holds an almost continuous urban and industrial area from Terrenoire in
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Saint-Étienne is the t ...
to
Givors
Givors (; frp, Givôrs) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France.
Location
It lies at the confluence of the Rhone and the Gier about south of Lyon and on the main road between that city and Sain ...
on the Rhone.
The main towns from west to east, with their 2010 populations, are
Saint-Chamond St Chamond may refer to:
* Saint Chamond otherwise Annemund, bishop of Lyon
* Saint-Chamond, Loire, a French town named after him
* Saint-Chamond (manufacturer), informal name for the ''Compagnie des forges et aciéries de la marine et d'Homécour ...
(35,793),
La Grand-Croix
La Grand-Croix () is a commune and the seat of a canton in the Loire department in central France. It lies in the Gier valley.
The commune was the main town of the former canton of La Grand-Croix, arrondissement of Saint-Étienne.
It lies on ...
(5,070),
Lorette (4,498),
Rive-de-Gier (14,996) and Givors (19,118).
The 12 towns along the river valley totaled 88,974 inhabitants in 2008. The Gier is partly covered over in Saint-Chamond.
References
Citations
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gier
Rivers of France
Rivers of Loire (department)
Rivers of Rhône (department)
Rivers of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes