Ardière

The Ardière (, also Ardières) is a river in the Rhône department of France. The Ardière is one of the tributaries of the Saône, which flows from the mountains of Beaujolais.

Geography
The Ardière is 30.0 km in length.

The source of the Ardière is to the south-east of Mont Monet (1001 m) and just below Mont Saint-Rigaud (1009 m), at an altitude of 870 m, within the commune of Les Ardillats. From there, the river flows into the Saône, in the Taponas commune at least a kilometre from the chef-lieu of the Canton of Belleville at an altitude of 170 m and just after passing beneath the Autoroute of the Sun. The Ardière flows into the Saône just before Montmerle island, opposite Montmerle-sur-Saône. The river valley there is the location of the D37 route départementale.

Departement and communes traversed
The Ardière flows through one departement (Rhône) and 10 communes, listed from upstream to downstream as follows: Les Ardillats, Saint-Didier-sur-Beaujeu, Beaujeu, Lantignié, Quincié-en-Beaujolais, Régnié-Durette, Cercié, Saint-Lager, Saint-Jean-d'Ardières and Taponas.

Tributaries
The Ardière has eleven tributary streams and two branches. Tributaries are listed below, from upstream to downstream. R indicates a right tributary, L indicates a left tributary.

Toponyms
Local placenames related to the Ardière hydronym include the commune of Saint-Jean-d'Ardières and the commune of the river's source, Les Ardillats.

Ecology
Along the Ardière there are many fragile species, including the martin-pêcheur bird, the Bouvière fish, and fresh-water mussels of the Anodonta genus. One can also find two families of dragonfly (Gomphidae and Aeshnidae) as well as a damselfly, the Mercury Bluet.

Flora include the swamp ragwort and the flowering rush.

Facilities
The zone of the Ardière's drainage basin has been recognised as likely to benefit from a reduction in pollution by pesticides and runoff from viticulture as well as homes and communities. The Rhône-Alpes region launched and tender for the years 2003–2006.