Doubs (river)


The Doubs is a long river in eastern France and western Switzerland, and is left tributary of the Saône. Its source is near Mouthe in the western Jura mountains, at an altitude of. It is the tenth longest river in France.

Course

From its source in Mouthe it flows northeast, more or less along the French-Swiss border. Near Montbéliard it turns southwest, until it flows into the river Saône in Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, approx. northeast of Chalon-sur-Saône. Its entire course resembles an inverted letter U, with the northeastern corner the only point at which the Doubs flows into Switzerland as far as Saint-Ursanne. In Switzerland it traverses the cantons Jura and Neuchâtel.
The waterfall known as the Saut du Doubs is located on the French-Swiss border. The river, which has been dammed up by landslide debris, forms the long, but only wide, winding Lac des Brenets. The high Doubs Falls are located at its end. The falls can be reached on foot or by passenger boat.
The Doubs flows through the following Departments of France, Cantons of Switzerland, and cities:
Tributaries include:
The river forms several lakes:

Floods and seasonal variation

The rate of flow of the Doubs is very seasonally variable. The flooding season can stretch from September to May, with floods being occasioned either by heavy rains or by quick melting of snow from the Jura mountains. At its mouth, the discharge rate can vary from as low as to over during floods.
In Besançon, the largest floods have been in 1852, in 1896 and in 1910. There have also been many lesser floods more recently.

Hydroelectricity

As a mountain river with substantial discharge, the Doubs has been used for electricity generation. Among several hydroelectric stations, the most important are the Dam of Châtelot, tall, and the Dam of Refrain, tall.

In Popular Culture

The Doubs river is mentioned sixteen times in Stendhal's novel The Red and the Black.