page_title: Bèze (river)
section_title: Hydrology
hierarchical_section_title: Bèze (river) / Geography and description / Bèze-Albane basin / Hydrology
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: La Bèze en plein champs à Noiron-sur-Bèze (Côte d'Or).
context_page_description: The Bèze is a French river in the Côte-d'Or department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.
  It is a right tributary of the Saône, and thus a sub-tributary of the Rhône.
  The river rises in the Crétanne cave in the village of Bèze, then crosses several communes in its 31.2 kilometres course before entering the Saône in Vonges.
  Its source is the outlet of a vast underground network fed by the Tille and the Venelle.
  A walk has been laid out around the spring, which is a major tourist attraction in the region.
  The watershed of the Bèze river and its main tributary, the Albane, irrigates the Saône Vingeanne country, over a total area of 250 square kilometres
  Along its course the landscape alternates between forested areas and areas of large crops, livestock meadows and ponds.
  The basin is home to four natural areas of interest for their ecology, fauna and flora.
  Human occupation along the river began as early as the Paleolithic.
  In Roman Gaul the sanctuary of Mirebeau-sur-Bèze, on an important axis of communication, was an important place in the region.
  The site was occupied by the Legio VIII Augusta, who built an imposing military camp.
context_section_description: The Bèze has moderate seasonal fluctuations in flow, with higher rainfall in winter bringing the average monthly flow rate to between 4.5 and 5.65 cubic metres per second (159 and 200 cu ft/s) from December to March inclusive, with a maximum in January. 
  Starting in March the monthly flow rate gradually drops to the low summer levels from July to September, with a monthly average flow rate down to 1.76 cubic metres per second (62 cu ft/s) in August. 
  However, the minimum flow for 3 consecutive days of the month can drop to 0.9 cubic metres per second (32 cu ft/s) during a dry five-year period.
  The average flow over the year is 3.810 cubic metres per second (134.5 cu ft/s). 
  The level of the river does not begin to rise slowly until after five or six days of continuous rainfall.
  Average monthly flow m3/s as of 2012 at the Bèze hydrological station
  Flooding is never very significant since the river benefits from the regulating effect of the large underground water table.
  The instantaneous flow for peak flood is 13 cubic metres per second (460 cu ft/s) and the maximum for a five-year flood is 16 cubic metres per second (570 cu ft/s).
  This rises to 17 cubic metres per second (600 cu ft/s) for a ten-year period, 19 cubic metres per second (670 cu ft/s) or a 20-year period and 20 cubic metres per second (710 cu ft/s) for a fifty-year period.
  The greatest instantaneous flow recorded was 17.8 cubic metres per second (630 cu ft/s) on 18 December 1982, and the greatest daily average was 17.3 cubic metres per second (610 cu ft/s) on 21 December 1982.
  This flood was lower than the 20 year level, so was by no means exceptional.
  It might be expected every 15 years on average.
  The amount of water that runs off the Bèze basin (rainfall less evaporation / absorption) is estimated at 308 millimetres (12.1 in) annually, which is moderately high but of the same order of magnitude as France as a whole, but less than that of the Saône river basin, which has 501 millimetres (19.7 in) annually.
  The specific flow reaches 9.7 litres per second (128 imp gal/min) per square kilometer of the basin.
caption: Landscape of plains and groves, at Noiron-sur-Bèze
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