Editing Garonne

{{Short description|River in France}}
{{Use dmy dates|date= March 2021}}
{{Expand French|Garonne|date= July 2014|topic= geo}}
{{Infobox river
| name              = Garonne
| native_name       = {{native name|oc|Garona}}
| image             = Bordeaux port de la lune 01.jpg
| image_caption     = The Garonne at [[Bordeaux]]
| map               = Garonne watershed.png
| map_caption       = Map of the Garonne River watershed
| mapframe          = yes
| mapframe-zoom     = 6
| source1           = [[Pyrenees]]
| source1_location  = [[Alt Àneu]], [[Catalonia]], Spain
| source1_coordinates = {{coord|42.607295|0.965424|format=dms|name= source Garonne}}
| source1_elevation = {{convert|2600|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| mouth             = [[Gironde estuary]], [[Atlantic Ocean]]
| mouth_location    = [[Bayon-sur-Gironde]], [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]], France
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|45|2|29|N|0|36|24|W|name= Gironde-Garonne|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation   = {{convert|0|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| progression       = {{RGironde}}
| subdivision_type1 = Countries
| subdivision_name1 = [[France]] and [[Spain]]
| subdivision_type2 = Cities
| subdivision_name2 = {{hlist|[[Toulouse]]|[[Bordeaux]]}}
| length            = {{convert|529|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg    = {{convert|650|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| basin_size        = {{convert|56000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, or including Dordogne: {{convert|84811|km2|sqmi|abbr= on}}
| extra             = 
}}

The '''Garonne''' ({{IPAc-en|ɡ|ə|ˈ|r|ɒ|n|,_|ɡ|æ|ˈ|r|ɒ|n}} {{respell|gə|RON|,_|garr|ON}}, {{IPA|fr|ɡaʁɔn|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick-Garonne.wav}}; [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Basque language|Basque]] and {{langx|oc| Garona}}, {{IPA|oc|ɡaˈɾunɔ}}; {{langx|la|Garumna}}<ref>
{{cite book |last= Smith |first= William |author-link= William Smith (lexicographer) |title= A new classical dictionary of Greek and Roman biography, mythology, and geography |publisher= John Murray |location= London |year= 1850 |page= 492 |oclc= 223027795}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite book
 | last1 = Smith
 | first1 = William
 | author-link1 = William Smith (lexicographer)
 | year = 1862
 | chapter = GARUMNA
 | editor1-last = Anthon
 | editor1-first = Charles
 | editor1-link = Charles Anthon
 | title = A New Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Mythology and Geography, partly based upon the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology by William Smith [...]
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9-4rAAAAYAAJ
 | others = Revised by Charles Anthon
 | edition = revised
 | location = New York
 | publisher = Harper
 | publication-date = 1895
 | page = 322
 | access-date = 14 December 2019
| quote = GARUMNA (now ''Garonne''), one of the chief rivers of Gaul, rises in the Pyrenees, flows northwest through Aquitania, and becomes a bay of the sea below Burdigala (now ''Bordeaux'').
}}
</ref>
or {{lang|la|Garunna}}) is a [[river]] that flows in southwest [[France]] and northern [[Spain]]. It flows from the central [[Spanish Pyrenees]] to the [[Gironde estuary]] at the French port of [[Bordeaux]] – a length of {{convert|529|km|mi|abbr=on}},<ref>{{Sandre|O---0000|La Garonne}}</ref> of which {{convert|47|km|mi|abbr=on}} is in Spain ([[Val d'Aran]]);<ref name=smeag>
[https://www.smeag.fr/le-bassin-versant-de-la-garonne.html Le bassin versant de la Garonne], Syndicat Mixte d'Études & d'Aménagement de la Garonne
</ref> the total length extends to {{convert|602|km|mi|abbr= on}} if one includes the [[Gironde estuary]] between the river and the sea. Its basin area is {{convert|56000|km2|abbr=on}},<ref name=smeag/> which increases to {{convert|84811|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} if the [[Dordogne (river)| Dordogne River]], which flows from the east and joins the Garonne at [[Bec d'Ambès]] to form the Gironde estuary, is included.

[[Umayyad]] and [[Duchy of Aquitaine | Aquitanian]] forces fought the [[Battle of the River Garonne]] in 732 beside the river near present-day Bordeaux.

==Etymology==
The name derives from ''Garumna'', a [[Latin]]ized version of the [[Aquitanian language|Aquitanian]] name meaning "stony river" ("kar" relating to "stone" and "-ona" relating to "river").

==Geography==

===Sources===
[[File:Garonne 5102.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Banks of the Garonne in [[Toulouse]]]]

The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the [[Aran Valley]] in the Spanish [[Pyrenees]], though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the ''Uelh deth Garona'' at Plan de Beret ({{Coord|42.709494|0.945398|display=inline|format=dms}}), the Ratera-Saboredo cirque {{Coord|42.607295|0.965424|display=inline|format=dms}}), or the slopes of [[Aneto|Pic Aneto]] (Salterillo-Barrancs ravine {{Coord|42.6498|0.6683|display=inline|format=dms}} according to the season).

The ''Uelh deth Garona'' at {{convert|1862|m|ft}} above [[sea level]] has been traditionally considered as the source of the Garonne. From this point a brook (called the ''Beret-Garona'') runs for {{convert|2.5|km|mi}} to the bed of the main [[Aran Valley|upper Garonne valley]]. The river runs for another {{convert|38|km|mi}} to the French border at ''[[Pont de Rei]]'', {{convert|40.5|km|mi}} in total.

The Ratera-Saboredo cirque is the head of the upper Garonne valley, and its upper lake at {{convert|2600|m|ft}} above sea level is the origin of the Ruda-Garona river, running for {{convert|16|km|mi}} to the confluence with the Beret-Garona brook and another {{convert|38|km|mi}} to the French border at ''Pont del Rei'', {{convert|54|km|mi}} in total. At the confluence, the Ruda-Garona carries {{convert|2.6|m3/s|cuft/s}} of water.<ref name="oph.chebro.es">{{cite web |url=http://oph.chebro.es/DOCUMENTACION/HidrogeologiaPirineos/3.2.ACUIFEROS.htm |website=oph.chebro.es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314231555/http://oph.chebro.es/DOCUMENTACION/HidrogeologiaPirineos/3.2.ACUIFEROS.htm |archive-date=14 March 2012 |title=3}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">[ftp://oph.chebro.es:2121/BulkDATA/DOCUMENTACION/DirectivaMarco/Garona/DocumPrevia%202008.pdf]</ref> The Ratera-Saboredo cirque is considered by many researchers to be the origin of the Garonne.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Datos sobre la vegetación y bioclima del Valle de Arán |url=http://www.raco.cat/index.php/ActaBotanica/article/view/59581/101176 |author1=Salvador Rivas-Martínez (member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences) |author2=Manuel Costa (Professor of the Universitat de Valencia) |journal=Acta Bot. Barcinon |volume=45 |pages=473–499 |year=1998}}</ref><ref>Soler i Santaló; La Vall d'Aran. Guía monográfica de la comarca; pág. 12. Barcelona, 1916.</ref><ref name="Faura i Sans 1916">Faura i Sans (M.); Sobre hidrología subterránea en los Pirineos Centrales de Aragón y Cataluña. Bol. de la Real Soc. de Hist. Nat, vom. XVI, pgs. 353-354. Madrid, 1916.</ref><ref>{{cite journal| url = http://www.raco.cat/index.php/ActaBotanica/article/view/59581/101176| title = Boletín del Centro Excursionista de Cataluña| journal = Acta Botanica Barcinonensia| date = 11 January 1998| pages = 473–499| last1 = Salvador| first1 = 1935-Rivas-Martínez| last2 = Manuel (Costa Talens)| first2 = 1938-Costa}}</ref>

[[Image:SbrdoJavierSanchezPortero.jpg|300px|thumb|left|The Main Lake of Saboredo and Pic de Saboredo, the head of the Garonne valley]] 
The third theory holds that the river rises on the slopes of Pic Aneto at {{convert|2300|m|ft}} above sea level and flows by way of a [[sinkhole]] known as the ''[[Forau de Aigualluts]]'' ({{Coord|42.6666|0.6669|display=inline|format=dms}}) through the [[limestone]] of the Tuca Blanca de Pomèro and a resurgence in the Val dera Artiga above the Aran Valley in the Spanish Pyrenees.<ref>{{cite book|last=Reynolds|first=Kev|title=Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees|publisher=Cicerone Press|location=Milnthorpe, England|year=2001|pages=208|isbn=978-1-85284-328-1}}</ref> This underground route was suggested by the geologist [[Louis Ramond de Carbonnières|Ramond de Carbonnières]] in 1787 but there was no confirmation until 1931, when [[Caving|caver]] [[Norbert Casteret]] poured [[fluorescein]] dye into the flow and noted its emergence a few hours later {{convert|4|km}} away at ''Uelhs deth Joèu'' ("Jove's eyes" {{Coord|42.68092|0.7077|display=inline|format=dms}}) in the Artiga de Lin on the other side of the mountain.<ref>{{cite book|last=Casteret|first=Norbert|others=[[Henry Hay (writer)|Mussey, Barrows]] (trans)|title=Ten Years Under the Earth|publisher=J. M. Dent|location=London|year=1939}}</ref><ref>{{cite map
  |publisher = Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya
  |title = Mapa topogràfic de Catalunya 1:100 000
  |edition = 1st
  |section = 1: Pirineu occidental
  }}
</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Lambert|first=Roger|title=Géographie du cycle de l'eau|year=1996|publisher=Presses Universitaires du Mirail|location=Toulouse|language=fr|isbn=978-2-85816-273-4|page=351|chapter=A propos de la Garonne Supérieure|quote=prouvant péremptoirement que la Garonne a sa vrai source et la plus importante dans les Monts Maudits, sur le versant Sud des Pyrénées ('proving conclusively that the Garonne has its true source, and the most important, in the Monts Maudits, on the southern slopes of the Pyrenees')}}</ref> From Aigualluts to the confluence with the main river at the bed of the upper Garonne valley at {{convert|800|m|ft}} above sea level, the Joèu has run for {{convert|12.4|km|mi}} (16 kilometres more to get to the French border), carrying {{convert|2.16|m3/s|cuft/s}} of water, whilst the main river is carrying {{convert|17.7|m3/s|cuft/s}}.<ref name="oph.chebro.es"/><ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ign.es/iberpix/visoriberpix/visorign.html |title=VisorIGN |access-date=11 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101117160824/http://www.ign.es/iberpix/visoriberpix/visorign.html |archive-date=17 November 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Image:Benasque - Aigualluts - Cascada 03.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The water from Barrancs and Escaleta ravines disappears into the ground at ''[[Forau de Aigualluts]]''.]]
Despite the lack of universal agreement on definition for determining a stream's [[Source (hydrology)|source]], the [[United States Geological Survey]], the [[National Geographic Society]] and the [[Smithsonian Institution]] agree that a stream's source should be considered as the most distant point (along watercourses from the [[river mouth]]) in the [[drainage basin]] from which water runs.<ref name=usgs-largest>{{cite web |title= Largest Rivers in the United States |publisher= [[United States Geological Survey]] |url= http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1987/ofr87-242/pdf/ofr87242.pdf |access-date= 24 October 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2000/12/1221amazon.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20010413002040/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2000/12/1221amazon.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 13 April 2001| title = National Geographic News @ nationalgeographic.com<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref><ref name="fwp.mt.gov">{{cite web| url = http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/articles/2005/MissouriSource.htm| title = The True Utmost Reaches of the Missouri<!-- Bot generated title -->| access-date = 11 January 2011| archive-date = 18 January 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120118010715/http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/articles/2005/MissouriSource.htm| url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/english/presidencia/noticias/noticia_visualiza.php?id_noticia=885&id_pagina=1/ |title=IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928094531/http://www.ibge.gov.br/english/presidencia/noticias/noticia_visualiza.php?id_noticia=885&id_pagina=1%2F |archive-date=28 September 2008 |access-date=24 December 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://infolink.cr.usgs.gov/events/Conferences/mrc04/04Program.pdf |title=Quest for the Missouri River Source, John LaRandeau, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |access-date=11 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602031213/http://infolink.cr.usgs.gov/events/Conferences/mrc04/04Program.pdf |archive-date=2 June 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Ratera-Saboredo cirque is the "most distant point (along watercourses from the river mouth) in the drainage basin from which water runs"<ref>{{cite web|title=Visor cartográfico del Instituto Geográfico Nacional|url=http://www2.ign.es/iberpix/visoriberpix/visorign.html?x=318460.9166&y=4727915.4788&zone=31&r=9952&visible=MAPA_MTN200;|publisher=Instituto Geográfico Nacional de España|access-date=10 November 2012|author1=Instituto Geográfico Nacional|author2=Ministerio de FOmento|archive-date=5 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205075735/http://www2.ign.es/iberpix/visoriberpix/visorign.html?x=318460.9166&y=4727915.4788&zone=31&r=9952&visible=MAPA_MTN200;|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="s - Géoportail, le portail des territoires et des citoyens">{{cite web|last=s - Géoportail, le portail des territoires et des citoyens|title=IGN France Cartes Topographie|url=http://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/accueil|access-date=10 November 2012}}</ref> and the source of the Garonne, according to the United States Geological Survey, the National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian Institution convention on determining a stream's source.

===Course===
The Garonne follows the Aran Valley northwards into France, flowing via [[Toulouse]] and [[Agen]] towards [[Bordeaux]], where it meets the [[Gironde estuary]]. The Gironde flows into the [[Atlantic Ocean]] ([[Bay of Biscay]]). Along its course, the Garonne is joined by three other major rivers: the [[Ariège (river)|Ariège]], the [[Tarn (river)|Tarn]], and the [[Lot (river)|Lot]]. Just after Bordeaux, the Garonne meets the [[Dordogne (river)|Dordogne]] at the [[Bec d'Ambès]], forming the Gironde estuary, which after approximately {{convert|100|km|mi|}} empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Other tributaries include the [[Save (Garonne)|Save]] and the [[Gers (river)|Gers]].

[[File:Valledelgarona.jpg|600px|thumb|centre|150° Panorama of the Aran Valley from the Beret Plateau, showing the Ruda-Garona and Beret-Garona confluence. In [[Vielha]] the Garonne turns westward (out of sight), and after {{convert|12|km|mi|0}} receives water from the Joèu (Pic Aneto).]]
The Garonne is one of the few rivers in the world that exhibit a [[tidal bore]].<ref name="Chanson_etal2010">{{cite book|author=[[Hubert Chanson|Chanson, H.]], Lubin, P., Simon, B., and Reungoat, D. |title= Turbulence and Sediment Processes in the Tidal Bore of the Garonne River: First Observations |url= http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:219711 |publisher=Hydraulic Model Report No. CH79/10, School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 97 pages|year=2010 |isbn= 978-1-74272-010-4}}</ref><ref name="Simon_et_al2011">{{cite book|author=Simon, B., Lubin, P., Reungoat, D., [[Hubert Chanson|Chanson, H.]] |title= Turbulence Measurements in the Garonne River Tidal Bore: First Observations |url= http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:243200 |publisher=Proc. 34th IAHR World Congress, Brisbane, Australia, 26 June – 1 July, Engineers Australia Publication, Eric Valentine, Colin Apelt, James Ball, [[Hubert Chanson]], Ron Cox, Rob Ettema, George Kuczera, Martin Lambert, Bruce Melville and Jane Sargison Editors |pages=1141–1148 |year=2011 |isbn= 978-0-85825-868-6}}</ref><ref name="Chanson_etal2012">{{cite journal|last1=Chanson|first1=Hubert|author-link1=Hubert Chanson|last2=Reungoat|first2=David|last3=Simon|first3=Bruno|last4=Lubin|first4=Pierre|title=High-frequency turbulence and suspended sediment concentration measurements in the Garonne River tidal bore|journal=[[Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science]]|date=December 2011|volume=95|issue=2–3|pages=298–306|bibcode=2011ECSS...95..298C|doi=10.1016/j.ecss.2011.09.012|citeseerx=10.1.1.692.2537}}</ref> Surfers and jet skiers could ride the tidal bore at least as far as the village of [[Cambes, Gironde|Cambes]], {{convert|120|km|mi}} from the Atlantic, and even further upstream to [[Cadillac, Gironde|Cadillac]], although the tidal bore appears and disappears in response to changes in the channel bathymetry. In 2010 and 2012, some detailed field studies were conducted in the Garonne's Arcins channel between [[Arcins Island]] and the right bank close to Lastrene township.<ref name="Chanson_etal2010" /> A striking feature of the field data sets was the large and rapid fluctuations in turbulent velocities and turbulent stresses during the tidal bore and flood flow.<ref name="Simon_et_al2011" /><ref name="Chanson_etal2012" /><ref name="Chanson_etal2012b">{{cite book|author=Reungoat, D., [[Hubert Chanson|Chanson, H.]], Caplain, B. |title= Field Measurements in the Tidal Bore of the Garonne River at Arcins (June 2012) |journal=Hydraulic Model Report No. CH89/12, School of Civil Engineering, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 121 Pages |year=2012 |isbn= 9781742720616 |url=http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:284154}}</ref>

===European sea sturgeon conservation===
[[File:Acipenser sturio.jpg|thumb|left|The [[European sea sturgeon]] (''Acipenser sturio'')]]
The [[European sea sturgeon]] (Acipenser sturio), also known as the Atlantic sturgeon or common sturgeon, is now a [[Critically Endangered species]] '''(IUCN) status'''[[File:Status iucn CR icon.svg|20px]].<ref name=IUCN>{{Cite iucn | author = Gesner, J. | author2 = Williot, P. | author3 = Rochard, E. | author4 = Freyhof, J. | author5 = Kottelat, M. | title = ''Acipenser sturio'' | volume = 2010 | page = e.T230A13040963 | date = 2010 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-1.RLTS.T230A13040963.en }}</ref> This species of sturgeon can reach a length of {{convert|6|m|abbr=on}}, weigh up to {{convert|400|kg|abbr=on}} and reach an age of 100 years.<ref name=Fishbase>{{FishBase_species|genus=Acipenser|species=sturio|year=2005|month=10}}</ref> Previously found on most coasts of Europe, it has now become so rare that it breeds only in the Garonne river basin in France.<ref name=IUCN /> Conservation projects are under way to save this fish from [[extinction]] via [[species reintroduction]] from [[aquaculture]], with the first releases having been made in 1995.<ref name=IUCN />

[[File:Garonne river.jpg|thumb|left|400px|The Garonne at [[Toulouse]]]]

===Towns along the river===
* [[Aran Valley]] (Spain): [[Vielha]],  [[Bossòst]]
* [[Haute-Garonne]] (31): [[Saint-Gaudens, Haute-Garonne|Saint-Gaudens]], [[Muret]], [[Toulouse]]
* [[Tarn-et-Garonne]] (82): [[Castelsarrasin]]
* [[Lot-et-Garonne]] (47): [[Agen]], [[Marmande]], [[Aiguillon, Lot-et-Garonne|Aiguillon]]
* [[Gironde]] (33): [[Langon, Gironde|Langon]], [[Bordeaux]]

==Main tributaries==
Following the flow of the river, from source to mouth:
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Pique (river)|Pique]]
* [[Ourse]]
* [[Neste (river)|Neste]]
* [[Salat (river)|Salat]]
* [[Volp]]
* [[Arize]]
* [[Louge]]
* [[Ariège (river)|Ariège]]
* [[Touch (river)|Touch]]
* [[Hers-Mort]]
* [[Save (Garonne)|Save]]
* [[Gimone]]
* [[Tarn (river)|Tarn]]
* [[Arrats]]
* [[Barguelonne]]
* [[Auroue]]
* [[Séoune]]
* [[Gers (river)|Gers]]
* [[Baïse]]
* [[Lot (river)|Lot]]
* [[Avance (Garonne)|Avance]]
* [[Dropt]]
* [[Ciron]]
* [[Gat mort]]
* [[Devèze (river)|Devèze]]
* [[Jalle de Blanquefort]]
{{div col end}}

==Navigation==

The Garonne plays an important role in inland shipping. The river not only allows seagoing vessels to reach the port of Bordeaux but also forms part of the [[Canal des Deux Mers]], linking the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
[[File:Bordeaux - MS Insignia (2).JPG|thumb|260px|left|Seagoing vessels may navigate as far inland as Bordeaux on the Garonne.]]
From the ocean, ships pass through the [[Gironde estuary]] up to the mouth of the Garonne (to the right of the Dordogne when sailing upstream). Ships continue on the tidal river Garonne up to the ''Pont de Pierre'' (stone bridge) in Bordeaux. Inland vessels continue upstream to [[Castets-en-Dorthe]], where the Canal de Garonne joins the river. Prior to the building of the Canal lateral à la Garonne, between 1838 and 1856, shallow-draught boats used the Garonne itself as far as [[Toulouse]]. However, navigation on the upper river was very uncertain, and this stretch of the river is no longer considered [[navigable]]. Instead the lateral canal takes boats through 53 [[Canal lock|lock]]s to the town of Toulouse, where the canal meets the [[Canal du Midi]].<ref name="Rolt">{{cite book|title=From Sea to Sea: An Illustrated History of the Canal du Midi|last=Rolt|first=L. T. C.|publisher=Euromapping|year=1973|isbn=978-2-910185-02-2|location=Grenoble, France|pages=19–40|author-link=L. T. C. Rolt}}</ref>

== Hydrography ==
The upstream part of the river, upstream from Toulouse depends primarily on snow and snow melt. The lower/downstream part is rain fed as well as its main tributaries.

The Garonne also feeds several channels/canals:

* The [[Canal de Saint-Martory|Saint-Martory canal]] – Saint-Martory water intake takes 10 m<sup>3</sup>/s from the river;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.haute-garonne.pref.gouv.fr/web/961-lirrigation.php|title=Garonne Irrigation channels|access-date=13 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204080922/http://www.haute-garonne.pref.gouv.fr/web/961-lirrigation.php|archive-date=4 December 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The [[Canal Latéral de la Garonne|canal latéral à la Garonne]] – with the water intake in Toulouse by the Brienne canal.

[[Sandre|SANDRE]] assigns to the Garonne a hydrographic identity number 0 --- 00000 and the generic code O --- 000014,15.

== Floods ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:2022-01-11 Garonne River Overflow 5472.webm|Flood of January 2022 in Toulouse.
</gallery>
A [[flood]] of the Garonne in 1930 broke the dike in Thivras (Marmande).

In Toulouse, the Garonne has been the cause of many floods, especially since its left bank is inhabited.

The earliest records of floods are from around 1177. It is also recorded to have flooded in 1220, 1258, 1430, 1523, 1536 and in 1589, 1608, 1658, 1673, 1675, 1709, 1712, 1727, 1750, 1772, 1788, 1804 and 1810. In 1772, the Garonne reached 8 meters 50.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Les drames de l'inondation à Toulouse / Théophile Astrié Éditeur : Éditeur : Librairie centrale (Toulouse) Date d'édition : 1875 gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5778575j|last=Astrié|first=Théophile|publisher=Arnaud et Labat (Paris)|year=1875|location=Librairie centrale (Toulouse)}}</ref> In the recent centuries, in 1827, 1835, 1855 and 1856/7.

In Toulouse, in 1827, the water level of the Garonne rose four meters above the ordinary level and filled the arches of the [[Pont de pierre (Bordeaux)|Pont de Pierre]] and [[Pont Neuf, Toulouse|Pont Neuf]].

In 1835, the Garonne rose to five meters above normal and 35 meters above the low water level and flowed through the four arcs of the Pont de Pierre.

Flood of the Garonne in 1835: 7,50 m at Toulouse Pont-Neuf

Flood of the Garonne in 1855: 7.25 m at Toulouse Pont-Neuf

Flood of the Garonne in 1875: 9,70 m to Toulouse Pont-Neuf (or 8m32 according to vigicrue).

Flood of the Garonne in 1879: 4,87 m at Toulouse Pont-Neuf

Flood of the Garonne in 1890: 3.30 m at Toulouse Pont-Neuf

Flood of the Garonne in 1900: 4,00 m in Toulouse Pont-Neuf

Flood of the Garonne in 1905: 4.24 m at Toulouse Pont-Neuf

Crete of 1927 in Aquitaine, particularly imposing after the confluence of the Garonne with the Lot (of which it remained raw reference), insignificant upstream18.

Flood of the Garonne in 1952: 4,57 m at Toulouse Pont-Neuf

Flood of the Garonne in 1977: 4,31 m in Toulouse Pont-Neuf

Flood of the Garonne in 2000: 4.38 m at Toulouse Pont-Neuf

Flood of the Garonne in 2004: 3,52 m at Toulouse Pont-Neuf

In 1777, the Garonne suffered an extraordinary flood to the point that the priest of Bourdelles took the trouble to retranscribe the event, at the end of the acts of the year, in the parish register of baptisms, marriages and deaths.

== Future Water Resource Management ==
The "Garonne 2050" project, initiated by the Adour-Garonne water agency in 2010, aims to address the future challenges facing the Garonne River basin regarding its water resources. With an anticipated surge of an additional 1 million inhabitants by 2050, the basin confronts a demographic challenge. The study aims to inform stakeholders and devise an adaptation strategy within the local master plan of water management and development (SDAGE), considering the impact of the predicted demographic shifts. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Analysis n°68 - april 2014 The future of water resource availability in France: how is the agricultural sector taken into account in foresight studies? |url=https://agriculture.gouv.fr/analysis-ndeg68-april-2014-future-water-resource-availability-france-how-agricultural-sector-taken |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire |language=fr}}</ref> Central to the "Garonne 2050" study is its examination of the Garonne River basin's agricultural sector. Detailed insights into changes in irrigated agricultural areas, crop rotation, and farm numbers are essential for informing effective water management strategies. Notably, the allocation of water volume to agriculture highlights a delicate balance between sustaining local economic activities and the necessity for agricultural adaptation amid decreasing water availability.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Grusson |first1=Youen |last2=Anctil |first2=François |last3=Sauvage |first3=Sabine |last4=Sánchez Pérez |first4=José Miguel |date=December 2018 |title=Coevolution of Hydrological Cycle Components under Climate Change: The Case of the Garonne River in France |journal=Water |language=en |volume=10 |issue=12 |pages=1870 |doi=10.3390/w10121870 |doi-access=free |issn=2073-4441}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of rivers of Europe]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/south-west/garonne-gironde/ Garonne and Gironde estuary] detailed information on places, ports and moorings on the canal, by the author of ''Inland Waterways of France'', Imray
* [http://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/canals-rivers-france/ Navigation details for 80 French rivers and canals] (French waterways website section
* [http://www.merlet.eu/lab/hydro/tls/ History and real-time water heights of Garonne river and main tributaries]

{{Rivers of France}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rivers of Catalonia]]
[[Category:Rivers of Spain]]
[[Category:Rivers of France]]
[[Category:Garonne basin| ]]
[[Category:Rivers of Gironde]]
[[Category:Rivers of Haute-Garonne]]
[[Category:Rivers of Lot-et-Garonne]]
[[Category:Rivers of Tarn-et-Garonne]]
[[Category:Rivers of Nouvelle-Aquitaine]]
[[Category:Rivers of Occitania (administrative region)]]
[[Category:International rivers of Europe]]