The Vezouze is a French river which runs in area of Lorraine, in the Département of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It is an affluent of the Meurthe out of Right Bank, therefore a tributary of a tributary of the the Moselle.

Geography

Vezouze is born in the solid mass from the Donon. Formed of the meeting of two brooks, the Valley and Châtillon, the river crosses in particular Cirey-on-Vezouze and Blâmont. It joins the Meurthe with Lunéville.

Its valley is an easily flooded plain characterized by a rich and original fauna.

Affluents

• the Vacon

• the Blette
• Erbisey

Hydrology

Its flow thus depends much on precipitations, which are reflected quickly on the river.

Vezouze is an abundant river, like the majority of the rivers close to the the Bay of Biscay. Its flow was observed over one 39 years period (1969-2007), with Lunéville, city where its confluence with the Meurthe is located. The catchment area of the river is there of 559 km ², that is to say more than 99% of the totality of this last.

The interannual medium flow or module of the river with Lunéville is of 6,8 m ³ a second.

Vezouze presents seasonal fluctuations of flow moderate. The high waters occur in winter carrying the average monthly flow on a level located between 10,5 and 12,5 m ³ a second, from December to March included (with a maximum little marked in February). As of at the end of March, the flow drops gradually throughout the period of spring. Water bases are held in summer, of at the beginning of July at September included, bringing a fall of the monthly medium flow up to 1,9 m ³ to August, which is still very consistent. But the fluctuations of flow can be much more significant over shorter periods. They are also variable according to the years.

With the low water level the VCN3 can fall until 0,73 m ³, in the event of dry quinquennial period, that is to say 730 liters a second, which is far from being very severe. For recall, the VCN3 is the past minimal quantity or minimal flow over three days consecutive.

As for the risings, they can be extremely important, characteristic shared by the majority of the affluents of the Moselle and Meurthe. The QIX 2 and QIX 5 or calculated instantaneous flows of biennial and quinquennial rising are worth respectively 84 and 120 m ³ a second. The QIX 10 or calculated instantaneous flow of decennial rising is of 140 m ³ a second, the QIX 20 of 170 m ³, while the QIX 50 is worth 200 m ³ a second (see note).

The maximum instantaneous flow observed with Lunéville during this period, was of 203 m ³ a second on October 29th, 1998, while the maximum daily output was of 160 m ³ a second on October 4th, 2006. By comparing the first of these values on a QIX scale of the river, one notes that this rising was of order cinquantennal, and thus rather exceptional. The same applies to rising of October 4th, 2006, which corresponds with the value of the QJ 50 of the river (160 m ³ a second also).

On the whole, Vezouze is an abundant river. The Lame of water past in its catchment area is of 385 millimetres annually, which is a little higher than the overall average of France all confused basins, but slightly lower than the average of the basin of the Meurthe (425 millimetres). The specific Débit of the river (or Qsp) posts of this fact a solid figure: 12,2 liters a second and per square kilometer of basin.

References