The Aven is a natural watercourse on the south coast of Brittany

Brittany

Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. (Atlas, 2007) Its source is near Coray

Coray

Coray is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.It lies on the Odet river.-Population:Inhabitants of Coray are called in French Corayens.-References:** ;-External links:* *...

. It flows in a generally southerly direction through Rosporden

Rosporden

Rosporden is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.The small city specializes in the manufacture of "chouchen," a version of mead native to Bretagne, and is known as "The Capital of Chouchen."-Population:...

 and Pont-Aven

Pont-Aven

Pont-Aven is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Pont-Aven are called in French Pontavenistes.-History:...

 before discharging into the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 at the seaside resort Port Manec'h, part of Névez

Névez

Névez is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.Nevez means "new" in Breton. The name is thought to have arisen when Trégunc was split in two, creating a new parish.-Population:...

. Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin

Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...

 spent some of his life living in the town of Pont-Aven

Pont-Aven

Pont-Aven is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Pont-Aven are called in French Pontavenistes.-History:...

, where he enjoyed painting scenes by the River Aven. The waters of the river are rather rapidly flowing and are tidal up until the town of Pont-Aven. The water quality has been tested as slightly alkaline with a pH

PH

In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...

 of 8.50 (at a location in Pont-Aven) where Gauguin was known to have painted his noted Lavenders. (Lumina Tech, 2006) Summer water temperature has tested at 17.5 degrees Celsius and electrical conductivity of the river tested to be .19 micro-siemens per centimetre. The waters are relatively clear

Turbidity

Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality....

 with Secchi disc tests at Pont-Aven yielding a measurement of 65 centimetres.