The Seille () is a river originating in the

Jura mountains The Jura Mountains ( ) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the French–Swiss border. While the Jura range proper (" folded Jura", ) is located in France and Switzerla ...

in France. It is a left tributary of the

Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...

, joining it in the commune of La Truchère, in

Saône-et-Loire Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part. Saône-et-Loire is B ...

. It is long. The river's headwaters are in the ''reculée'' (

blind valley A steephead valley, steephead or blind valley is a deep, narrow, flat bottomed valley with an abrupt ending. Such closed valleys may arise in limestone or karst landscapes, where a layer of permeable rock lies above an impermeable substrate such ...

) of Ladoye-sur-Seille, approximately 8 km south of Poligny. It is joined by the ''Seille de Beaume'', that springs in the blind valley of

Baume-les-Messieurs Baume-les-Messieurs () is a commune in the Jura department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. The village lie ...

, in Nevy-sur-Seille. From there it crosses the vineyards of the Jura department, irrigating the communes of Nevy-sur-Seille, Voiteur, and

Arlay Arlay is a commune in the Jura department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Saint-Germain-lès-Arlay was merged into Arlay. History Arlay's early importance lay in the fact ...

, before reaching the agricultural plain of Bletterans. It then passes

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

and the

Bresse Bresse () is a former French province. It is located in the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté of eastern France. The geographical term ''Bresse'' has two meanings: ''Bresse bourguignonne'' (or ''louhannaise''), whic ...

area in the department of

, finally flowing into the

at La Truchère, a few kilometers south of

Tournus Tournus () is a Communes of France, commune in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Geography Tournus is located on the right bank of the Saône, 20& ...

. Near its mouth, the Seille forms a 3047 hectare network of ponds, dunes, and bogs, providing a habitat for a large number of migratory birds, including endangered species and rare plant species. The upper part of the Seille is a tranquil

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

stream that sometimes overflows its banks in the spring. The lower part, also prone to substantial flooding, is navigable for 39 kilometers from Louhans to La Truchère; there one can find

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

that have inhabited the river since the 1960s and that occasionally become very large. The river is known for, in the 1980s, having the largest catches of catfish in France (record: 2.20 m, 66 kg). "Nothing much happens on the Seille and that is its special charm. It runs through a closed-in, rolling countryside with few villages and little else along its banks but fields, trees and cows. It carries hardly any traffic, has only four tired old locks and is wonderfully free of the disturbance from road or rail that often shatters the peace in other places. The Seille is a place apart, isolated from the noisy world around it, almost forgotten and little known". Hart Massey, ''Travels with Lionel: A Small Barge in France'' (1988), pg. 151. The Seille

catchment area A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

covers 2300 km², containing some 600 km of watercourses in three departments: Jura,

, and

Ain Ain (, ; ) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, 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 it ...

; it is thus located in three administrative regions. A river contract for the Seille basin was put in place by the Saône and Doubs Mixed Syndicate in 2002, with financial assistance from regional and general councils, the Water Agency, and the State. The contract concerns water quality and the flooding of residential areas, which can affect more than thirty communes: the three most affected regions being the Louhans metropolitan area, Bletterans, and Voiteur. The Solnan and the Sâne Vive are among its tributaries.

References

External links

Upper Seille Tourist Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seille (Saone) Rivers of France Rivers of the Jura Rivers of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rivers of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Rivers of Jura (department) Rivers of Saône-et-Loire Rivers of Ain