Geography: Rivers and Lakes in the Languedoc: The River Vidourle

The River Vidourle rises is in the Cévennes mountains, northwest of Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort. Its basin, some 1,335 km², lies entirely within southern France.

It flows generally southeast through the Gard département, Hérault département and then the Gard département again. It is around 85 km long.

For a long time the river did not flow into the Sea but into the marais at Saint-Laurent-d'Aigouze and later, in the nineteenth century, into the étang de Mauguio.

Today, artificial embankments cause it to flow into the Mediterranean Sea between Le Grau-du-Roi and La Grande Motte, discharging on average some 20 cubic meters of water per second into the Gulf of Lyon.

Towns along the river. The Vidourle flows through the following towns:

Gard: Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort, Sauve, Quissac, Sommières
Hérault: Lunel, Marsillargues
Gard: Saint-Laurent-d'Aigouze, Le Grau-du-Roi

 

Tributories. The Vidourle has the following tributories:

L'Argentesse
Le Rieumassel
Le Crespenon
Le Brestalou
Le Crieulon
La Courme
Le Quiquillan
L'Aygalade
La Benovie
Le Lissac