Vidourle

Flooding in summer 2002

The Vidourle is a river in southern France, which runs in the Languedoc- Roussillon region. His source Bach Ruisseau de Frégère rises in the south-eastern foothills of the Cevennes, the Montagne de la Fage, in the municipality of Saint- Roman-de - Codières. The Vidourle drains generally in a southeasterly direction, reached in its lower reaches, the Camargue, Aigues-Mortes crosses west of the shipping channel Canal du Rhône à Sète and ends after 95 kilometers at Le Grau du Roi in the Mediterranean Sea. Just before its mouth it is still part of the sea channel from Aigues- Mortes to the Mediterranean. On his way to the Vidourle crosses the Gard and forms over long distances the border to the neighboring department of Hérault.

Places on the river

• Saint- Roman-de - Codières
• Saint- Hippolyte- du-Fort
• Sauve
• Quissac
• Sommières
• Boisseron
• Villetelle
• Gallargues -le- Montueux
• Lunel
• Marsillargues
• Saint- Laurent- d'Aigouze
• Le Grau du Roi

Hydrology

The river is almost dry in summer mostly. The runoff goes back to 3 m³ / s. Occasionally, however, there is so-called Vidourladen (French: les vidourlades ) with runoff of about 1500 m³ / s Here are the cities Quissac and Sommières in the years 1575, 1684, 1689, 1723, 1745, 1812, 1858, 1891, 1907, 1933, 1958 and 2002 have been badly damaged. The Vidourle has always been difficulties with the achievement of the Mediterranean; long time he was lost in a swamp near Saint- Laurent- d'Aigouze. Then he led in the 19th century in the lake of Mauguio. Today, artificial orifice arms to lead him to the Mediterranean.