Vésubie

The Vésubie ( Vesúbia in Occitan nissart), formerly called Lantosque, is a river of France, Affluent of the Var out of left bank. It runs entirely in the department of the the Alpes-Maritimes.

It is formed in the solid mass of the Mercantour, by the junction with Saint-Martin-Vésubie of the torrent of Boréon and of that of the Madonna of Fenestrates, her length is then of 45 kilometers.

One calls Vésubie not only the Rivière but also the Vallée. The inhabitants of this valley are the Vésubiens ( lou Vesubian ).

Its affluents

the Gordolasque
the Lanquette
the Figaret

Its course

Hydrology

Vésubie is a small abundant river. Its flow was observed over one 19 years period (1953-1971), with Utelle, with St-Jean-the-River, very close to its confluence with the VAr. The catchment area of the river is there of 348 km ², i.e. its quasi totality.

The interannual medium flow or module of the river with Utelle is of 8,61 m ³ a second.

Vésubie presents typical seasonal fluctuations of a mode to dominant at the same time nival and rain. One indeed distinguishes two periods there from rising. The high waters of autumn carry the average monthly flow on a level located at 12,3 m ³ a second, in November and are followed of a fall of flow up to 5,4 m ³ a second in February. A second rise of the flow follows then leading to a second top in May (13,5 m ³) and June (14,4 m ³). It is due to the snow melt. Consequently of July, starts a very fast fall followed by the low waters of summer which lead the medium flow to its low water level of August (with a monthly average of 5,38 m ³ a second), which is still extremely abundant. On the whole, the seasonal oscillations are relatively not very important. However the fluctuations of flow can be much more marked over short periods.

The VCN3 can fall until 1,9 m ³, in the event of dry period quinquennial, which remains high. The VCN3 is the past minimal quantity or minimal flow over three days consecutive.

The risings can be very important for such a small river with reduced basin. The QJX 2 or calculated daily output of biennial rising and QJX 5 (calculated daily output of quinquennial rising) are worth respectively 67 and 97 m ³. The QJX 10 or calculated daily output of decennial rising is of 120 m ³ a second and the QJX 20 of 140 m ³. As for the QJX 50 or computed value of the daily output of raw cinquantennale, it is not available (see note). That means that, for example, every two years one must expect a rising of about 67 one one day duration cubic meters, and every twenty years a rising of 140 cubic meters must statistically occur.

The recorded maximum daily output was of 200 m ³ a second on November 19th, 1970. By comparing this value with the scale of the QJX of the river, it appears that these believed were largely more important than the computed value of vicennial rising, and thus rather exceptional.

On the whole, Vésubie is an abundant river, supplied with precipitations, they such abundant, in its basin located entire in alpine area. The Lame of water past in its catchment area is of 781 millimetres annually (against 746 for Tinée), which is high, being worth more of the double of the overall average of France all confused basins, and superior also with the blade of the totality of the basin of the VAr. The specific Flow of the river (or Qsp) reached the figure of 24,7 liters a second and per square kilometer of basin.

Picturesque places

The valley is beautiful over all its length and particularly picturesque in its last portion, the “throats”, energy of the Plan-of-VAr juqu' with Saint-Jean-the-River, also visible of the view-point of the Saut of the French with Duranus. In summer, the increase of the valley of Vésubie offers a seizing contrast, making pass in a few minutes of the low valley of the VAr crushed of sun to an alpine landscape of green meadows.

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