The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a

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 w ...

in eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It is a right 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 ...

, rising at Vioménil in the

Vosges department Vosges () is a department in the Grand Est region in Northeastern France. It covers part of the Vosges mountain range, after which it is named. Vosges consists of three arrondissements, 17 cantons and 507 communes, including Domrémy-la-Pucel ...

and joining the Rhône in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

, at the southern end of the

Presqu'île The Presqu'île (literally a combination of the French words "presque" and "île" for almost and island, respectively)''Le petit Robert de la langue française'' 2007 is the central part of the City of Lyon, France. Extending from the foot of th ...

. The name derives from that of the Gallic river goddess Souconna, which has also been connected with a local Celtic tribe, the Sequanes.

Monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

copyists progressively transformed ''Souconna'' to ''Saoconna'', which ultimately gave rise to . The other recorded ancient names for the river were and .

Geography

The Saône rises at Vioménil at the foot of the cliff of the Faucilles in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

at an elevation of , and flows into the Rhône at Lyon at an elevation of . Its length is . Its largest tributary is the

Doubs Doubs (, ; ; frp, Dubs) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.Verdun-sur-le-Doubs Verdun-sur-le-Doubs (, literally ''Verdun on the Doubs'') is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.watershed than the Doubs, at ''vs.'' . At the Saône has the largest watershed of any French river that does not flow directly into the sea, covering approximately 1/18 of

metropolitan France Metropolitan France (french: France métropolitaine or ''la Métropole''), also known as European France (french: Territoire européen de la France) is the area of France which is geographically in Europe. This collective name for the European ...

. In pre-

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

times the river's name was "Arar", a doubling of the Indo-European root ''ar'' (water). According to Caesar's

Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and British tribes fought to defend their homel ...

this doubling reflected the idea that it was difficult to identify the direction of the river due to its slow rate of flow. Its current name came from a sacred spring, ''Sauc-Onna'', located at Chalon, which was used by

Roman legion The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period o ...

aries to refer to the entire river.

Departments and cities traversed by the Saône

* Vosges:

Darney Darney () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. It is located in the Vôge Plateau, around the location of the source of the river Saône. Darney is known for its forest of oak and beech trees. History Darn ...

Monthureux-sur-Saône Monthureux-sur-Saône (, literally ''Monthureux on Saône'') is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Inhabitants are called ''Monthurolais''. History Origins and Etymology The name Monthureux comes from the ...

, Châtillon-sur-Saône *

Corre Corre () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Geography The Côney flows southward through the middle of the commune, crosses the village, then flows into the Saône, which fo ...

, Jussey,

Port-sur-Saône Port-sur-Saône () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It was probably the Roman ''Portus Abucini''. Population Twin towns Port-sur-Saône is twinned with: * Brest, Belaru ...

, Scey-sur-Saône,

Gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

* Côte-d'Or:

Auxonne Auxonne ( or ) is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Auxonnais'' or ''Auxonnaises''. Auxonne is one of the sites of the defensive struc ...

, Saint-Jean-de-Losne, Seurre * Saône-et-Loire:

Verdun-sur-le-Doubs Verdun-sur-le-Doubs (, literally ''Verdun on the Doubs'') is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.Chalon-sur-Saône,

Tournus Tournus () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Geography Tournus is located on the right bank of the Saône, 20 km. northeast of Mâcon on the Paris-Lyon railway. Pop ...

Mâcon Mâcon (), historically anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the prefecture of the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home to near 34,000 residents, who are referred to in French as ...

Crêches-sur-Saône Crêches-sur-Saône (, literally ''Crêches on Saône'') is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. See also *Communes of the Saône-et-Loire department The following is a list ...

: Belleville-sur-Saône,

Villefranche-sur-Saône Villefranche-sur-Saône (, ; frp, Velafranche) is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. It lies 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the river Saône, and is around north of Lyon. The inhabitants of the town are called ''Caladois''. ...

, Anse,

Neuville-sur-Saône Neuville-sur-Saône (, literally ''Neuville on Saône'') is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Surrounding communes * Genay * Montanay * Fleurieu-sur-Saône * Albigny-sur-Saône Population ...

, Fontaines-sur-Saône,

Caluire-et-Cuire Caluire-et-Cuire (; frp, Caluéres-et-Cuéres) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is the fifth-largest suburb of the city of Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' als ...

Ain Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where ...

: Thoissey, Jassans-Riottier,

Main tributaries of the Saône

R indicates a right tributary, L indicates a left tributary.

Navigation

The Saône is navigable from its confluence with the Coney at

in the north of the ''département''

Haute-Saône Haute-Saône (; Arpitan: ''Hiôta-Sona''; English: Upper Saône) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of northeastern France. Named after the river Saône, it had a population of 235,313 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 ...

(itself a navigable river) at

La Mulatière La Mulatière () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. The city is known, among other things, for its Aquarium du Grand Lyon. Population See also *Communes of the Metropolis of Lyon The ...

, in Lyon. The navigable stretch is long, of which has been redeveloped to European high-capacity dimensions from Saint-Symphorien-sur-Saône to Lyon. It has 5 locks. The 161 km long part upstream from Saint-Symphorien-sur-Saône to Corre, also named ''Petite Saône'', is navigable for Freycinet gauge ships and has 19 locks. The Saône is linked with 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 ...

by the Canal du Centre, with the

Yonne Yonne () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight constituent departments, it is l ...

by the

Canal de Bourgogne The Canal de Bourgogne (English: Canal of Burgundy or Burgundy Canal) is a canal in the Burgundy historical region in east-central France. It connects the Yonne at Migennes with the Saône at Saint-Jean-de-Losne. Construction began in 1775 and wa ...

, with the

Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...

by the

Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne The Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne (, literally ''Canal between Champagne and Burgundy''), previously named Canal de la Marne à la Saône (, literally ''Canal of the Marne to the Saône''), is a canal in north-eastern France connecting the t ...

(previously the Canal de la Marne à la Saône), with the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

by the Canal de l'Est, whose southern branch has been renamed the

Canal des Vosges The Canal de la Meuse is the current name of what used to be the northern branch of the Canal de l'Est ("canal of the east"). It is a canal in northeastern France, predominantly made up of the canalised river Meuse. The Canal de l'Est was built fro ...

, and with the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

by the

Canal du Rhône au Rhin Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow u ...

. All the canals are Freycinet gauge. Also navigable are the small Canal de Pont-de-Vaux (3 km), the Seille, navigable in a stretch up to

Louhans Louhans () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.

, and the lower part of the Doubs. None of these three connect the Saône to any other waterway.

Hydrology

The lesser Saône (Petite Saône)

Puvis de Chavannes Personification of the Saone

The lesser Saône has a tendency to flood (sometimes influenced by snow), with a very strong oceanic effect. The

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debri ...

s are not susceptible to much infiltration, so that they saturate quickly which contributes to surface runoff. The flow rate grows very quickly, and after receiving the waters of the Lanterne, the Saône already becomes a powerful river. The mean annual flow rate, or discharge, of the Saône has been measured over 50 years (as of 2013) at the

Ray-sur-Saône Ray-sur-Saône (, literally ''Ray on Saône'') is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. See also *Communes of the Haute-Saône department The following is a list of the 539 commu ...

hydrological station, situated about after the Lanterne confluence between

and

. The figure is for a watershed area of (the upper basin of the lesser Saône), and has an annual maximum of and a minimum of . The river exhibits seasonal variations in flow rate, with winter floods from from December to March inclusive, and summer reductions in July/August/September falling to a monthly average of in August. The

runoff curve number The runoff curve number (also called a curve number or simply CN) is an empirical parameter used in hydrology for predicting direct runoff or infiltration from rainfall excess. The curve number method was developed by the USDA Natural Resources ...

in the upper basin of the lesser Saône is annually, ''cf.'' for the Lanterne, an elevated figure resulting from the very high rainfall in the Vosgian part of its watershed. The specific flow rate rises to 16.0 litres per second per square kilometre of watershed. The maximum instantaneous recorded flow rate was on December 19, 1982.

The greater Saône (Grande Saône)

The greater Saône is formed by the confluence of the Doubs and the lesser Saône at Verdun-sur-le-Doubs. The Doubs brings a mean annual flow rate of , and the lesser Saône, . The greater Saône has only modest tributaries which have little effect on floods or other hydrological properties. It flows in a vast plain approximately wide as far as Lyon in the basin of the former Bressan lake. The slope is very gradual, and without

hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counte ...

projects up to the north of Chalon aimed at guaranteeing a deep navigation channel, overflows would be more frequent. At the

Couzon-au-Mont-d'Or Couzon-au-Mont-d'Or (; frp, Coson) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It al ...

hydrological station, where the river enters the Lyon area, measurements taken between 1969 and 1986 revealed a mean annual flow rate of , with a 100-year flood flow rate of The runoff curve number from the river's entire watershed is , and the specific flow rate rises to 15.8 litres per second per square km of watershed.

Average flow rate

Overall, the average flow rate in Lyon is , with a minimum of , in August, and a maximum of , in February.

Historic floods

When the Saône floods, the impact varies considerably over the course of the river. A large flood with a strong flow rate upstream can be largely attenuated in the Bressan plain so as to have only moderate impact at Mâcon, particularly if it carries a limited volume of water. By contrast, a medium-sized flood of the lesser Saône can turn into a significant flood downstream, if the Doubs brings in a similar contribution at about the same time. Historic floods include: * The Lyon flood of 580 * The floods of 1602 during the

autumn equinox Autumnal equinox or variations, may refer to: * September equinox, the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere * March equinox, the autumnal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere Other uses * Autumnal Equinox Day (Japanese: 秋分の日, ''Shūbu ...

Floods of the Rhône and all its tributaries, Volume 4
/ref> and of 1711 * The flood of November 1840, with an estimated flow rate of almost , destroyed numerous habitations along the

river valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ...

. Many plaques marking this serious event are still visible in the villages affected. The high water measured at flood scales reached at Mâcon and at Chalon, or about respectively above normal levels). * The flood of May 1856 * The largest floods in the last 50 years as of 2006: January 1955, March 1970, December 1981 and 1982, May 1983, March 2001 and 2006. The reference flood in

town planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

is the

100-year flood A 100-year flood is a flood event that has a 1 in 100 chance (1% probability) of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The 100-year flood is also referred to as the 1% flood, since its annual exceedance probability is 1%.Holmes, R.R., Jr. ...

. This reference was in the course of being modified as maps linked to modelling the 1840 flood in modern town planning conditions were distributed to local mayors in December 2008, and as new prevention plans were ordered for 2012. File:SAONE1840.jpg, A plaque commemorating the flood of 1840 at Quincieux File:Saône - échelle des inondations à Ecuelles.JPG, Historic floods since 1950 Écuelles, north Saône-et-Loire File:Niveau crue Saône Belleville.jpg, Indicators of the level of historic floods of the Saône on the Church of Notre-Dame de Belleville

References

External links

River Saône (Petite Saône)
with maps and information on places, ports and moorings on the river from Corre to Saint-Jean-de-Losne, by the author of ''Inland Waterways of France'', Imray
River Saône (Grande Saône)
with maps and information on places, ports and moorings on the river from Saint-Jean-de-Losne to Lyon, by the author of ''Inland Waterways of France'', Imray
Navigation details for 80 French rivers and canals
(French waterways website section)
Waterways in France
*
Saone.org : French river cruising

The Saône
on OpenStreetMap *
Saone.org
Navigation and information about the Saône *

The Saône *
Navigable routes in France
on the website of Voies Navigables de France {{DEFAULTSORT:Saone Rivers of Ain Rivers of Côte-d'Or Rivers of France Rivers of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Rivers of Haute-Saône Rivers of Grand Est Rivers of Rhône (department) Rivers of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rivers of Saône-et-Loire Rivers of Vosges (department)