Durdent

The Durdent is small a coastal Fleuve Norman, 24 kilometers length. Its valley, located in full heart of the Country of Caux in Seine-Maritime, preserves the vestiges of many mills installed on banks of a river at the flow of a great regularity.

Geography

It takes its source in the Pays of Caux in the North-West of Yvetot, close to Héricourt-in-Caux, of the meeting of the brooks of Saint-Denis and Saint-Riquier, then adopts a north-north-west direction, characteristic of the coastal rivers of Seine-Maritime, sprinkles Cany-Barville and is thrown in the Manche on the level of Veulettes-sur-Mer on the Côte of Alabaster. Durdent notches the plate cauchois, high of 80 with 100m, covered of very fertile loess like silts siliceous. On its left bank, the side of its valley is covered with muddy deposits originating in the plates and set up by Ruissellement and Solifluxion. Out of Right Bank, the hillsides are marked by marly chalk outcrops of the Turonien, near Héricourt-in-Caux, and of white Craie S with flint of Sénonien downstream from this commune.

Durdent sprinkles (upstream downstream) Robertot, Sommesnil, Oherville, Hanouard, Clasville, Grainville-la-Teinturière, Cany-Barville, Vittefleur, Paluel, Veulettes-sur-Mer.

Hydrology

In spite of its low length, Durdent has a high flow (3,8 m ³ /s with Vittefleur close to the mouth), its catchment area, formed of river low length (brook of Saint Martin's day with Cany-Barville), being relatively wide (355 km ²).

With the hydrological Station of Vittefleur, the measurements taken for 42 years (of 1966 with 2007) on a surface of area catchment of 349 km ² (that is to say more than 98% of this one) have shown the remarkable stability of the flow. The period of high waters is recorded during wintry time with a monthly average of 4,08 m ³ /s reaches in February, the low waters intervene at the end of the summer with a flow of 3,52 m ³ /s in September. The periods of low water level, just like the risings, thus are very limited.

The valley of the mills

Small river with the sloping course and the regular flow, Durdent saw to settle, along its course, of many small industries: spinning mill S, factories of oil or ink, Minoterie S. Towards 1870, the valley was so active, the trade so flourishing that the construction of a railroad was considered between Yvetot and Cany-Barville; the layout not having been retained, the industrialists were obliged to convey or take delivery of the goods in distant stations of 10 or 15 km. That contributed to the early decline of these activities. At the 19th century, when prosperity reigned, more than 60 Moulin S, one animates a Minoterie (in Vittefleur) and three others produce electricity. Close to the mouth of the river, on the territory of the commune of Paluel, EDF exploits one of largest the nuclear plants of France.

As elsewhere in the country of Caux, the valley of Durdent conceals a rich person historical heritage: castle of Boscol with Héricourt-in-Caux, Auffay-la-Mallet close to Oherville, Janville near Paluel and especially to Cany-Barville, built between 1640 and 1646 according to the plans of François Mansart and surrounded by one landscaped garden redrawn at the 19th century. Grainville-la-Teinturière is honoured to be the native village of Jehan de Béthencourt, conqueror and first king of the islands the Canaries.

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