Seille (Saône)
Encyclopedia
The Seille is a river originating in the Jura mountains
in France. It is a left tributary of the Saône
, joining it in the commune of La Truchère
, in Saône-et-Loire
. It is 100 km long.
The river's headwaters are in the reculée (blind valley) of Baume-les-Messieurs
, approximately 10 km east of Lons-le-Saunier
. From there it crosses the vineyards of the Jura department, irrigating the communes of Nevy-sur-Seille
, Voiteur
, and Arlay
, before reaching the agricultural plain of Bletterans
, then Louhans
and the Bresse
area in the départment
of Saône-et-Loire
, finally flowing into the Saône
at La Truchère
, a few kilometers south of Tournus
. Near its mouth, the Seille forms a 3047 hectare network of ponds, dunes, and bogs, providing a habitat for a large number of migratory birds, including endangered species and rare plant species.
The upper part of the Seille is a tranquil trout
stream that sometimes overflows its banks in the spring. The lower part, also prone to substantial flooding, is navigable for 39 kilometers from Louhans to La Truchère; there one can find catfish
that have inhabited the river since the 1960s and that occasionally become very large. The river is known for, in the 1980s, having the largest catches of catfish in France (record: 2.20 m, 66 kg).
"Nothing much happens on the Seille and that is its special charm. It runs through a closed-in, rolling countryside with few villages and little else along its banks but fields, trees and cows. It carries hardly any traffic, has only four tired old locks and is wonderfully free of the disturbance from road or rail that often shatters the peace in other places. The Seille is a place apart, isolated from the noisy world around it, almost forgotten and little known". Hart Massey, Travels with Lionel: A Small Barge in France (1988), pg. 151.
The Seille catchment area
covers 2300 km², containing some 600 km of watercourses in three départements: Jura, Saône-et-Loire
, and Ain
, thus being located in three administrative regions. A river contract for the Seille basin was put in place by the Saône and Doubs Mixed Syndicate in 2002, with financial assistance from regional and general councils, the Water Agency, and the State. The contract concerns water quality and the flooding of residential areas, which can affect more than thirty communes: the three most affected regions being the Louhans metropolitan area, Bletterans, and Voiteur.
The Solnan
and the Sâne Vive
are among its tributaries.
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
in France. It is a left tributary of the Saône
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....
, joining it in the commune of La Truchère
La Truchère
La Truchère is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.-References:*...
, in Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
. It is 100 km long.
The river's headwaters are in the reculée (blind valley) of Baume-les-Messieurs
Baume-les-Messieurs
Baume-les-Messieurs is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.The village lies within the most extensive of the steephead valleys of the Jura escarpment, the Reculée de Baume. It is therefore almost surrounded by limestone cliffs about 200m high. The River Seille has...
, approximately 10 km east of Lons-le-Saunier
Lons-le-Saunier
Lons-le-Saunier is a commune and capital of the Jura department in eastern France.-Geography:The town is in the heart of the Revermont region, at the foot of the "premier plateau" of the Jura massif...
. From there it crosses the vineyards of the Jura department, irrigating the communes of Nevy-sur-Seille
Nevy-sur-Seille
Nevy-sur-Seille is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-References:*...
, Voiteur
Voiteur
Voiteur is a commune in the Jura department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.- Demographics :As of the census of 1999, the population was 718.The estimate for 2005 was 779.- References :*...
, and Arlay
Arlay
Arlay is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-History:Arlay's early importance lay in the fact that it was a station where the "Salt Road" forded the river Seille. It was refounded by the Romans as an oppidum and functioned as a Gallo-Roman city until it was...
, before reaching the agricultural plain of Bletterans
Bletterans
Bletterans is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-References:*...
, then Louhans
Louhans
Louhans is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.Louhans is the capital of Bresse bourguignonne. The main street, dating from the eleventh century, is very typical with arches and stores all along...
and the Bresse
Bresse
Bresse is a former French province. It is located in the regions of Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne, and Franche-Comté of eastern France. The geographical term Bresse has two meanings: Bresse bourguignonne , which is situated in the east of the department of Saône-et-Loire, and Bresse, which is located...
area in the départment
Départements of France
The departments of France are French administrative divisions. The 101 departments form one of the three levels of local government, together with the 22 metropolitan and 5 overseas regions above them and more than 36 000 communes beneath them...
of Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
, finally flowing into the Saône
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....
at La Truchère
La Truchère
La Truchère is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.-References:*...
, a few kilometers south of Tournus
Tournus
Tournus is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.-Geography:Tournus is located on the right bank of the Saône, 20 km. northeast of Mâcon on the Paris-Lyon railway.-Sights:...
. Near its mouth, the Seille forms a 3047 hectare network of ponds, dunes, and bogs, providing a habitat for a large number of migratory birds, including endangered species and rare plant species.
The upper part of the Seille is a tranquil trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
stream that sometimes overflows its banks in the spring. The lower part, also prone to substantial flooding, is navigable for 39 kilometers from Louhans to La Truchère; there one can find catfish
Wels catfish
The wels catfish , also called sheatfish, is a large catfish found in wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, and near the Baltic and Caspian Seas. It is a scaleless fresh and brackish water fish recognizable by its broad, flat head and wide mouth...
that have inhabited the river since the 1960s and that occasionally become very large. The river is known for, in the 1980s, having the largest catches of catfish in France (record: 2.20 m, 66 kg).
"Nothing much happens on the Seille and that is its special charm. It runs through a closed-in, rolling countryside with few villages and little else along its banks but fields, trees and cows. It carries hardly any traffic, has only four tired old locks and is wonderfully free of the disturbance from road or rail that often shatters the peace in other places. The Seille is a place apart, isolated from the noisy world around it, almost forgotten and little known". Hart Massey, Travels with Lionel: A Small Barge in France (1988), pg. 151.
The Seille catchment area
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
covers 2300 km², containing some 600 km of watercourses in three départements: Jura, Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
, and Ain
Ain
Ain is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation...
, thus being located in three administrative regions. A river contract for the Seille basin was put in place by the Saône and Doubs Mixed Syndicate in 2002, with financial assistance from regional and general councils, the Water Agency, and the State. The contract concerns water quality and the flooding of residential areas, which can affect more than thirty communes: the three most affected regions being the Louhans metropolitan area, Bletterans, and Voiteur.
The Solnan
Solnan
The Solnan is a long river in the Ain and Saône-et-Loire départements, eastern France. Its source is at Verjon, in the Jura Mountains. It flows generally north-northwest...
and the Sâne Vive
Sâne Vive
The Sâne Vive , or Sâne, is a long river in the Ain and Saône-et-Loire départements, eastern France. Its source is at Lescheroux. It flows generally northwest...
are among its tributaries.