Mouzon (river)

Geography

Area catchment the total of Mouzon is of 415 km ².

Mouzon takes its source close to Martigny-the-Baths which it crosses. It runs out primarily in the department of the the Vosges but made a small incursion in Haute-Marne. It is thrown in the Meuse with Neufchâteau.

Affluents

Small Mouzon (module of 0,295 m ³ a second to its confluence)
the Anger or Auger (1,38 m ³ a second)
the Outlaw (0,43 m ³ a second)

Hydrology

With its confluence Mouzon is slightly more abundant than the Meuse (4,76 m ³ a second against 4,63). It is not astonishing since the river has a sometimes determining influence on the flow of the river in its higher course.

The river was observed during one 40 years period (of 1968 to 2007) to Circourt-on-Mouzon (hamlet of Villars), small town of the department of the the Vosges located little upstream of its confluence with the Meuse at Neufchâteau.

The interannual medium flow or module of Mouzon raised with Circourt-on-Mouzon is of 4,59 m ³ a second for a surface of basin of 405 km ², that is to say it quasi totality of this one (nearly 98%).

The river present of the seasonal fluctuations of flow, with winter high waters located in a fork going from 7,2 to 9,54 m ³ a second, from December to March included, and important thin of summer, involving a fall of the monthly medium flow up to 0,6 m ³ in August.

With the low water levels, the VCN3 can fall until 0,030 m ³ a second, in the event of dry period quinquennial, that is to say 30 liters a second, which must be regarded as frankly severe, but rather normal is compared with the minimum flows of other rivers of the area of Lorraine, like the Orne for example (VCN3 of 0,56 m ³, for a basin of 1 268 km ² and a module of 12,4 m ³). The VCN3 is the past minimal quantity or minimal flow over three days consecutive.

As for the risings, they can be extremely important. The QIX 2 and QIX 5, or calculated flows of biennial and quinquennial rising, are worth respectively 70 and 96 m ³. The QIX 10 or calculated flow of decennial rising is of 110 m ³ a second, the QIX 20 of 130 m ³ and the QIX 50 of 150 m ³ a second. (see note). Let us note that these values of rising are more of the double of those of the Bar, affluent of the Meuse located in the close department of the Ardennes, and whose surface of basin as the value of the module are rather comparable.

The maximum instantaneous flow recorded with Circourt-on-Mouzon, in forty years of observations, was of 145 m ³ a second on December 30th, 2001, while the maximum daily output was of 111 m ³ a second on March 10th, 1999. The first of these values corresponds more or less to the flow of raw cinquantennale (QIX 50), which is of 150 m ³ a second. One can say since this rising was relatively exceptional, since intended to repeat itself only every 50 years on average.

Like all the rivers resulting from the south of Lorraine, Mouzon is on the whole an irregular but abundant river, well supplied with provided enough average precipitations area. The Lame of water past in the catchment area of the river is of 359 millimetres annually, which is higher than the French average, all confused basins, but however remains rather lower than the average of the French basin of the Meuse observed to Chooz, little before its exit of the territory (450 millimetres). The specific Débit (or Qsp) is assembled thus at 11,3 liters a second and per square kilometer of basin.

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