Douglas DC-8

Geography

It takes its source in the the Pyrenees Massif of Maladetta to the peak of the Mine close to the border with the Spain in the department of the Haute-Garonne area the Midday-Pyrenees. It passes by Bagnères-with-Luchon and throws in the the Garonne with the Saint-Happy downstream of

Departments and main cities crossed

Haute-Garonne (31): Bagnères-with-Luchon, Room-and-Pratviel, Cierp-Gaud

Hydrology

The Spade is an extremely abundant river, like the whole of the river descending of the chain of the Pyrenees. Its flow was observed during one 12 years period (1920-1931), with Cier-with-Luchon, locality of the department of the Haute-Garonne located at ten kilometers of its confluence with the the Garonne. The catchment area of the river is there of 320 km ² (either more than 90% of its totality).

The interannual medium flow or module of the river with Cier-of-Luchon is of 11,0 m ³ a second.

The Spade presents a typically nival profile with two well marked seasons. The high waters are held in spring and the beginning of the summer and are due to the snow melt. They are characterized by average monthly flows going from 13,4 and 20,3 m ³ a second, from April at July included (with a maximum very Net in May then in June). In August the flow drops clearly and constitutes a short transition towards the low waters from autumn-winter which take place from September to February, involving a fall of the monthly medium flow going up to 7,5 m ³ in February, which remains very consistent. But the fluctuations of flow can be much more marked over moreover short periods or according to the years.

With the low water level, the VCN3 can fall until 3,2 m ³, in the event of dry period quinquennial, which is not at all severe (see note).

As for the risings, they can be very important in spite of the modest size of the catchment area of the river. The series of the QIX was not calculated, but the series of the QJ indeed was it. The QJ 2 and QJ 5 are worth respectively 46 and 61 m ³ a second. The QJ 10 or calculated flow of decennial rising is of 71 m ³ a second, the QJ 20 of 81 m ³ and the QJ 50 was not calculated fault of duration of sufficient observation (see note).

The maximum daily output recorded with Cier-of-Luchon during this 12 years period only, was of 85,5 m ³ a second on July 22nd, 1925. By comparing this value on a QJ scale of the river, one notes that this rising was of a vicennial nature.

The Spade is an extremely abundant river, strongly supplied with strong precipitations snow-covered on almost the totality of its basin. The Lame of water past in its catchment area is of 1.157 millimetres annually, which is more than three times and half superior with the overall average of France all confused basins. The specific Flow of the river (or Qsp) reached of this fact the robust figure of 36,6 liters a second and per square kilometer of basin.

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