Garbet

The Garbet is a Pyrenean river of the south-west of the France which runs in the department of the Ariège. It is an affluent of the Salat out of Right Bank, therefore a tributary of a tributary of the the Garonne.

Geography

Garbet takes its source in the the Pyrenees, in the pond of Garbet, on the northern side of the Red Peak of Bassiès (2 676 meters), not far from the Spanish border. In a general way, its course is directed south-east towards the North-West. After a course of 25 kilometers, it is thrown in the Salat out of Right Bank with Oust, small town ariégeoise located at 16 kilometers upstream of Saint-Bosoms.

Departments and main cities crossed

Ariège (09): Aulus-the-Baths, Ercé, Oust

Hydrology

Garbet is an extremely abundant river, taking into account of course the exiguity of its catchment area. Its flow was observed over one 28 years period (1912-1939), with Oust, locality of the department of the Ariège, located at the level of its confluence with the Salat. Studied surface was of 102 km ², i.e. it quasi totality of the catchment area of the river.

The interannual medium flow or module of the river with Oust is of 6,23 m ³ a second.

Garbet present of the seasonal fluctuations of flow marked well, as it is often the case in territory of high mountain. Its mode is before very nival, with a rain component for lower altitudes. The high waters are held in spring and are characterized by average monthly flows oscillating between 8,28 and 12,50 m ³ a second, from April at June included (with an in May maximum). As of June, the flow falls quickly to the low waters which take place during most of the remainder of the year (from August at February). March and June constitutes two short periods of transition. During low waters, the average monthly flow oscillates between 3,47 and 5,11 m ³ a second, with a floor of 3,47 in September. For this period, one notes a small rise in November (5,11 m ³ - rains of autumn) and a second rise in January (4,8 m ³ a second). The fluctuations are however much more marked over moreover short periods.

With the low water level, the VCN3 can fall until 0,320 m ³, in the event of dry period quinquennial, that is to say 320 liters a second, which is already rather severe (see note).

The risings, as for them can be rather 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 (or daily outputs calculated of raw) indeed was it. The QJ 2 and QJ 5 are worth respectively 36 and 46 m ³ a second. The QJ 10 or calculated flow of decennial rising is of 52 m ³ a second and the QJ 20 of 59 m ³, while the QJ 50 was not calculated fault of duration of sufficient observation (see note).

The recorded maximum daily output with Oust during this 28 years period, was of 58,9 m ³ a second on January 2nd, 1935. By comparing this value on a QJ scale of the river, one notes that this rising of a vicennial nature and was thus intended to repeat itself on average every 20 years.

On the whole, Garbet is an extremely abundant and well fed river, especially by snow-covered precipitations of its basin. The Lame of water past in its catchment area is of 1 930 millimetres annually, a record in France, more or less six times the overall average of the country all confused basins. The specific Débit of the river (or Qsp) is assembled consequently to step less than 61,1 liters a second and per square kilometer of basin.

Principal affluents

the Arse or Ars which runs out by the cascade of Arse, with Aulus-the-Baths.
the Fouillet with Aulus-the-Baths.

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