Vis (river)

Weir at Saint- Laurent- le- Minier

The Vis is a river in France, which runs in the Languedoc- Roussillon region.

History and characteristics

The Vis rises in the Cevennes National Park, near the Col de l' Homme Mort, in the municipality of Arrigas. At first they drained in a south-westerly direction, but then turns to the northeast and ends after 58 kilometers above the Ganges as a right tributary of the Hérault. In its course it crosses the departments of Gard and Herault.

In the upper course of the river bed section of the Vis below the village Alzon is dry, giving the place Vissec ( "dry Vis " ) its name. When Résurgence de la Vis ⊙ 43.8997253.4830166666667 their water occurs after crossing under the adjacent karst plateaus and southern Causse du Larzac as strong flow from source again. Impressive is the huge basin of the Cirque de Navacelles with the village of Saint -Maurice- Navacelles. Here Vis has broken through a Zwangsmäander and shortens its course as a waterfall from. There and at the Résurgence de la Vis are restored mills. Even today the water and rich gradient flow is used in small hydropower plants for energy. Because of its picturesque, often gorge-like valley and its popularity as a bathing water of Vis is much visited.

The average discharge is 10 m³ / sec The mean monthly flows vary between less than 3 m³ / s in August and about 17 m³ / s in January. The extreme outflows can be well over 500 m³ / s.

Places on the river

• Alzon
• Vissec
• Saint- Maurice- Navacelles
• Gorniès
• Saint- Laurent- le- Minier