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The Ardèche (; ) is a long
river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in south-central
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, a right-bank
tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''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 into which they ...
of the River
Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...
. Its source is in the Massif Central, near the village of Astet. It flows into the Rhône near
Pont-Saint-Esprit Pont-Saint-Esprit (, literally "Holy Spirit Bridge"; ) is a commune in the Gard département in southern France. It is situated on the river Rhône and is the site of a historical crossing, hence its name. The Ardèche flows into the Rhône, jus ...
, north-west of Orange. The river gives its name to the French department of
Ardèche Ardèche (; , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche (river), Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...
s up to high. A
kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...
and camping trip down the Canyon, gorge is not technically difficult and is very popular in the summer. The most famous feature is a natural stone arch spanning the river known as the
Pont d'Arc The Pont d'Arc (French language, French ''pont'' = bridge) is a large natural arch, natural bridge, located in the Ardèche ''departments of France, département'' in the south of France, 5 km from the town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. The arch, f ...
(arch bridge).


Geography

The source of the river lies at above sea level in the
Vivarais Vivarais (; ; {{cite web , url=http://www.columbia.edu/acis/ets/Graesse/orblatv.html , title = ORBIS LATINUS - Letter V) is a traditional region in the south-east of France, covering the ''département'' of Ardèche, named after its capital Vivier ...
, near the Col de la Chavade, in the forest of Mazan in the commune of Astet. After the towns of
Aubenas Aubenas (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the southern part of the Ardèche Departments of France, department in Southern France. It is the seat of several government offices. The mountainous and rugged countryside is popular for vacation ...
and Ruoms, it collects the Chassezac and the Beaume and plunges into its famous gorge below
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc Vallon-Pont-d'Arc (; ) is a village in southern France in the Ardèche Department. The village is a gateway to one of the most beautiful tourist sites in France, the Ardèche Gorges, where the Ardèche river has carved a dramatic canyon thro ...
. It flows into the
Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...
at
Pont-Saint-Esprit Pont-Saint-Esprit (, literally "Holy Spirit Bridge"; ) is a commune in the Gard département in southern France. It is situated on the river Rhône and is the site of a historical crossing, hence its name. The Ardèche flows into the Rhône, jus ...
.


Departments and communes

The Ardèche flows through the following
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, ...
and communes: *Department of
Ardèche Ardèche (; , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche (river), Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Astet (source) ** Mayres (Le Lignon joins) **
Barnas Barnas () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardèche Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as Barnassiens or Barnassiennes. Geography Barnas is ...
** Thueyts ** Pont-de-Labeaume (La Fontolliere joins) ** Lalevade-d'Ardeche (right bank) **
Vals-les-Bains Vals-les-Bains (; ) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a list of the 335 communes of the Ardèche department of France. The communes ...
(left bank) (La Volane joins) ** Labégude (right bank) **
Ucel Ucel (; ) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a list of the 335 communes of the Ardèche department of France. The communes cooperate ...
(left bank) ** Saint-Privat (left bank) (Le Luol joins) **
Aubenas Aubenas (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the southern part of the Ardèche Departments of France, department in Southern France. It is the seat of several government offices. The mountainous and rugged countryside is popular for vacation ...
(right bank) **
Saint-Didier-sous-Aubenas Saint-Didier-sous-Aubenas (, literally ''Saint-Didier under Aubenas''; ) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a list of the 335 communes o ...
** Saint-Étienne-de-Fontbellon (right bank) ** Vogüé ** Lanas (right bank) ** Saint-Maurice-d'Ardeche (left bank) (L'Auzon joins) ** Balazuc ** Chauzon (right bank) ** Pradons (left bank) ** Ruoms (left bank) ** Labeaume (right bank) (La Ligne joins) ** Saint-Alban-Auriolles (right bank) (La Beaume and La Cassezac joins) **
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc Vallon-Pont-d'Arc (; ) is a village in southern France in the Ardèche Department. The village is a gateway to one of the most beautiful tourist sites in France, the Ardèche Gorges, where the Ardèche river has carved a dramatic canyon thro ...
(left bank) (L'Ibie joins) ** Salavas (right bank) ** Labastide-de-Virac (right bank) ** Saint-Remèze (left bank) (Gorges de l'Ardeche) ** Bidon (left bank) ** Saint-Martin-d'Ardeche (left bank) ** Saint-Just-d'Ardèche (left bank) *Department of
Gard Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;Le Garn (right bank) **
Aiguèze Aiguèze (; ) is a commune in the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Since 2005, Aiguèze has been a member of ''Les Plus Beaux Villages de France'' ("The most beautiful villages of France"), the first such location i ...
(right bank) ** Saint-Julien-de-Peyrolas ** Saint-Paulet-de-Caisson **
Pont-Saint-Esprit Pont-Saint-Esprit (, literally "Holy Spirit Bridge"; ) is a commune in the Gard département in southern France. It is situated on the river Rhône and is the site of a historical crossing, hence its name. The Ardèche flows into the Rhône, jus ...
(joins the
Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...
)


Tributaries

The most important
tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' 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 into which the ...
and subtributaries to the Ardèche include:


Hydrology

The river has an average discharge of but experiences severe floods, called "coups de l'Ardèche" (Blows of the Ardèche), in spring and autumn and periods of very low water in summer. During flood events in 1827, 1890, and 1924, it reached and the water level rose to a record in the gorge. Despite the Ardèche's short length, the flow of the river at is relatively high—higher than the
Gardon The Gardon or Gard (Occitan language, Occitan and French language, French: ''Gardon, Gard'', , ) is a List of rivers of France, river in southern France. It is the namesake of the Departments of France, department of Gard. Several of its trib ...
at , the Cèze (22 m3/s), the
Hérault Hérault (; , ) is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault (river), Hérault River, its Prefectures in France, prefecture is M ...
(44 m3/s), or the
Agout The Agout or Agoût (; ) is a long river in south-western France. It is a left tributary of the Tarn. Its source is in the southern Massif Central, in the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park. It flows generally west through the following depar ...
(55 m3/s)—major rivers south of the Massif Central but much longer.


Rates of flow at Saint-Martin d'Ardèche

The inter-annual average flow of the Ardèche was observed and calculated over a period of 26 years at Saint-Martin d'Ardèche. It amounted to for a surface basin of —i.e. the vast majority of its watershed of . The river has seasonal fluctuations: a typical flow around the Cevennes, with high water in autumn and winter being double the normal, brings the average monthly flow at the first peak of in October then, after falling to in December, a new peak occurs from in January–March (with a maximum in January). A rapid decline in flow rate follows ending in a dry period in July–August resulting in a decrease of the average monthly rate to the level of in July. (See bar chart below.) The VCN3 (minimum flow) can drop to in a dry year. Floods can be extremely important (usually following storms in the Cevennes). The Qix 2 and Qix 5 are respectively which is high. QIX 10 is while QIX 20 and QIX 50 respectively rise to . The maximum instantaneous flow recorded in Saint-Martin d'Ardèche has been (two-thirds of the average flow of the Danube), while the maximum recorded daily rate was . 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 C ...
flowing into the catchment of the river is annually, which is very high. The specific flow (Qs) reaches 28.3 litres per second per square kilometre of the catchment.


Flows of waterways in the Ardèche catchment


Voice server

The prefecture of Ardèche has provided a voice server since June 2005 whose objective is to regularly disseminate information messages to allow monitoring of any significant event that might trigger a civil security crisis or standby alert. Precise information on the evolution of any flood is provided.


Peculiarity

The Ardèche receives water from the
Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) 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 rises in the so ...
river via the "La Palisse" flood barrier and the Lake d'Issarlès. Effectively, the water is collected to feed the EDF hydroelectric plant at Montpezat-sous-Bauzon and is subsequently piped into the Fontaulière river, a tributary of the Ardèche, near the town of Aubenas.


Hydronymy

Several ancient inscriptions about a college of ''nautes'' (Boatmen) in associated rivers have been discovered in the Gard. It is possible that the two rivers concerned are the Ardèche and the Ouvèze.CIL XII, 3316 and 2317; 4107 The identification of these two rivers is still pending. However, if it does involve the Ardèche river, the spellings ''Hentica'' (from 950), then ''Ardesca'' (in the Charta Vetus) have been attested.


Protected areas

The Ardèche is protected along almost all of its course. These protected areas are: *The sources of the Ardèche: Astet and Mayres, ZNIEFF type I *The Upper valley of the Ardèche, between Thueyts and
Ucel Ucel (; ) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a list of the 335 communes of the Ardèche department of France. The communes cooperate ...
: ZNIEFF type I *The
Riparian forest A riparian forest or riparian woodland is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, Sink (geography), sink, or reservoir. Due to the broad nature of the definitio ...
and floodplain of the Ardèche, between
Ucel Ucel (; ) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a list of the 335 communes of the Ardèche department of France. The communes cooperate ...
and Vogüé: ZNIEFF type I *The Middle Valley of the Ardèche and its Tributaries:
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, respectiv ...
site *The National Nature Reserve of the Gorges de l'Ardèche *The lower valley of the Ardèche: ZNIEFF type I.


Tourist attractions

*The Gorges de l'Ardèche - The Gorges de l'Ardèche (Ardèche Gorge) is located between the villages of
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc Vallon-Pont-d'Arc (; ) is a village in southern France in the Ardèche Department. The village is a gateway to one of the most beautiful tourist sites in France, the Ardèche Gorges, where the Ardèche river has carved a dramatic canyon thro ...
and Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche. The road along the north rim of the gorge (the ''Corniche'') has views into the gorge and over the river. *
Pont d'Arc The Pont d'Arc (French language, French ''pont'' = bridge) is a large natural arch, natural bridge, located in the Ardèche ''departments of France, département'' in the south of France, 5 km from the town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. The arch, f ...
(arched bridge) - A natural stone bridge across the river near the town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc forms the natural to the Gorges de l'Ardèche. *
Chauvet Cave The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave ( ) in the Ardèche department of southeastern France is a cave that contains some of the best-preserved figurative cave paintings in the world, as well as other evidence of Upper Paleolithic life.Clottes (2003b), p. ...
- This limestone cave, which is named after its discoverer, is in the Gorges de l'Ardèche. It contains early Stone Age cave paintings of great variety and expressiveness. Since the cave is not open to the public, photographs of cave paintings are displayed in an exhibition in Vallon-Pont d'Arc.


References


External links


Prefecture of Ardèche

Characteristic Flows - The Ardèche at Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche

Banque Hydro - Station V5064010 - The Ardèche at Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche (Sauze St. Martin) - (option Synthèse)
(Enter the Station Number)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ardeche (River) Tourism in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rivers of France Rivers of Ardèche Rivers of Gard Rivers of Lozère Rivers of Occitania (administrative region) Rivers of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tourist attractions in Ardèche