The Vesle is a French river , Affluent of the Aisne. It crosses mainly the department of the Marne where it occurs, but finishes its course in that of the Aisne, with Cop-on-Aisne. It bathes the towns of Rheims, Fismes and Braine.

Etymology

• This toponym comes from the Gallic Vidula' ( vidu- into Gallic means “wood”) which means “river of the forest”, because formerly this river ran in vast wooded areas.

• Another possible etymology: VESULA " bonne" diminutive form of VESOS " bon".

Affluents

Its principal affluent is the Ardre with Fismes. Among the small less important affluents, one will note Noblette which joins close to Vadenay.

Hydrology

Vesle is a fairly abundant river, like the majority of the rivers resulting from the chalky part of the area of Champagne-Ardenne. Its flow was observed over one 34 years period (1967-2000), with Braine, locality of the department of the Aisne located little before its confluence with the Aisne. The catchment area of the river is there of 1  440 km ², are it quasi totality of this last.

The interannual medium flow or module of the river with Braine is of 7,72 m ³ a second.

Vesle present of the seasonal fluctuations of flow very little marked, with high waters of winter-spring carrying the average flow monthly on a level located between 9,2 and 12,2 m ³ a second, from January to May included (with an in March maximum), and low waters of end of be-beginning of autumn, of at the beginning of August at October included, with a fall of the monthly medium flow up to 3,66 m ³ in September, which remains very appreciable.

With the low water level however, the VCN3 can fall until 1,4 m ³, in the event of dry quinquennial period, that is to say 1400 liters a second, which is far from being severe. For recall, the VCN3 is the past minimal quantity or minimal flow over three days consecutive.

As for the risings, they are very little important, characteristic shared by the close rivers. The QIX 2 and QIX 5 or calculated flows of biennial and quinquennial rising are worth respectively 18 and 24 m ³ a second. The QIX 10 or calculated flow of decennial rising is of 27 m ³ a second, the QIX 20 of 31 m ³, while the QIX 50 was not calculated (see note).

These flows of rising are rather comparable with those of the Suippe, river close profiting from equivalent climatic conditions, and pedological conditions partially similar.

The recorded maximum instantaneous flow with Braine during this period, was of 34,1 m ³ a second on December 29th, 1999, while the value maximum day laborer was of 32 m ³ a second the same day. By comparing the first of these values with the scale of the QIX of the river, one notes that this rising was only of a vicennial nature, and thus by no means exceptional.

Vesle is not a very abundant river. The Lame of water past in its catchment area is of 169 millimetres annually, which is extremely lower than the overall average of France all confused basins, and also to the average of the basins of the Aisne (260 millimetres), and of the the Seine (more or less 240 millimetres). The specific Débit of the river (or Qsp) posts of this fact a weak figure: 5,4 liters a second and per square kilometer of basin.