User:SamBrobby/Touvre River

The Touvre is a river in the south west of France which finds its source in an important resurgence. As large as it is in its source as it is in its outfall, the Touvre is a short, narrow river found just to the left of the region of Charente. The Touvre irrigates the department of La Charente, in the Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charente region (New Aquitania).

Geography
This rivers source can be found in the Touvre region (in Charente). The minimum level of water (recorded in periods of low tide) is fairly constant from June to September averaging around 10mm$3$/s ,though this number can vary highly year on year (4m$3$/s-15m$3$/s). This base water level usually remains higher than that of the Charente, which allows it to be navigated towards Angouleme throughout all seasons. It flows into the Charente (from the left river bank) at Gond-Pontouvre after Angouleme. From its source to its outfall, the Touvre remains entirely in the Angoumois agglomeration.

The temperature of the water remains invariably between 8 and 12 degrees Celsius. .The Touvre’s sources supply the Angoumois agglomeration with drinkable water whilst the river serves to operate numerous factories, windmills, stationary stores and lane foundries.

The length of the Touvre is only of approximately 11.7Km. .

Communes and cantons crossed
The Touvre passes through, in alphabetical order, the communes of Gond-Pontouvre, Magnac-sur-Touvre, Ruelle-sur-Touve and Touvre, the commune in which it finds its source. In terms of township, the Touvre sprinkles through Ruelle, Soyaux and Gond-Pontouvre.

Name influence
The Touvre gave its name to the 4 communes it passes through: Gond-pontouvre, Magnac-sur-Touvre, Ruelle-sur-Touvre and Touvre.

Tributaries
The Touvre also has 2 referenced tributary rivers :
 * .“le ruisseau de Viville” measuring 8.3KM in length, crossing the communes of Champniers, Gond-Pontouvre and Ruelle sur Touvre.
 * “Le ruisseau de Lunesse” measuring 2.9km, sweeping across the communes of Angouleme, Gond-Pontouvre and l’isle d’Espagnac..

The Touvre also has tributaries cutting away from its left bank:
 * “l’Echelle” (the ladder) passing through the communes of Dignac, Sers, Boliex, Garot and Touvre.
 * The “ruisseau de Bellerme” passing through the two communes of Magnac-sur-Touvre and Touvre.
 * “le Ruisseaux de la Font-Noir” passing through the communes of Soyaux, l’Isle d’Espagnac and Gond Pontouvre.

Etymology
This Watercourse is first mentioned in 882 under the name FL(UVIUM) Tolveram (Latin). And Tolvera in the year 1001. ,, . , which in this era designates the homonymous parish irrigated by the river.

We can also recognize in the second element composing the name of the river “Vera”, the Gallic word which signifies “water” or “river”. We also phonetically find this element (VERA) in the name of Saint ló, Briovera “pont sur la vire”.

The origin of the first element “TOL” remains in obscurity, perhaps we can liken it to a preexisting Gallic word “TOLL” which signified “a Meander” or “loop” as well as a “gulf” or “Cavity”. This could be a reference to its seemingly inconmensurable sources at the time. Ernest Négre proposed the Gallic word “TELO” which means “source” or “watercourse”, a variant of this word “Telon” .This is interesting as “Telon” is recognizable in numerous hydronyms. The Tholon ( Tolunum in 886), the Toulon (telomo in the 11th century, Apud Tolverum in 1180). The same going for Telo which is found in the Théols (fluvium Telem in 638, Thion in 1270). Also perhaps in Normandy in the name of “la Touques” (tolca 1021/1025,.

The River Touvre has given its name to the commune where its sources are situated.

History
As went the saying in the era of Francois the 1st: “the Touvre was paved in trout, it was larded in eels, lined with crayfish and covered in swans” The Touvre maintains to this day large number of trout and swans. Numerous mills color its banks through which the Touvre has been able to play a integral role in the paper industry of the region. The Ruelle Canon Foundry was created in 1753 on the banks of the Touvrem this way in part thanks to the fairly regular levels of the river as well as its sufficiently low temperature (due to its sources) which allowed for the treatment of metals used to build the cannons of the royal Marine. We can add to these elements the close proximity of minerals and coal making these banks a convenient setting for the Ruelle Cannon Foundry. With the Charente river being navigable from Angouleme, the cannons were able to be relayed up to the military port of Rochefort. Today, the Ruelle foundry is classed as a DCNS site, participating in a group of experts in the sector of Naval defense.

The Touvre to Gond-Pontouvre
The monthly flows have weakened since 1979 at 31m altitude 31 m d'altitude according to the Gond-Pontouvre station R2335050 (Foulpougne).

Amenities
The Touvre river has 6 stations qualified as surface water installations:
 * Touvre, at its source
 * Magnac-sur-touvre ( which has 2 stations)
 * Ruelle-sur-touvre ( one at Relette and one just after)
 * Gond-Pontouvre