Sources of the Rhine
Lake Toma in the Swiss canton of Graubünden is generally regarded as the Source of the Rhine. Its outflow is called Rein da Tuma and after a few kilometers, it forms the "Vorderrhein/Rein Anteriur" (). The course of this river is not particularly representative: after about two kilometers, its water is diverted into Curnera reservoir. The water is released at the Tavanase plant and flows into the Rhine at Ilanz. The river begins to be called "Rhine" in the vicinity of Chur, more specifically, at the confluence of the Vorderrhein and "Hinterrhein/Rein Posteriur" () next to  Reichenau in Tamins. Criteria for distinguishing between main branches and tributaries. There are different criteria for the definition of tributaries, and by some definitions, irrespective of the official name, one strand or another may be called "the" source. Determining the source of the Rhine is difficult, because in the river system of the Anterior and Posterior Rhine, there are many headwaters of similar size. Apart from the common criterion of the (apparent or real) larger discharge, ongoing cartographic research allows us to determine the headwater with the greatest length, the largest catchment area or (occasionally) the highest source. The direction  of flow may be crucial to the nomenclature as may be the significance of the valleys as room for housing and transport. Both criteria are more appropriate to the Vorderrhein, since the Hinterrhein valley was hardly populated before the influx of the Walser. Rhine sources by name. The Swiss Federal Office of Topography and ETH Zürich indicate a point north of Lake Toma and the Rein da Tuma as the source of the Rhine (and also of the Vorderrhein), and as the source of the Hinterrhein a point in the upper valley of the Rheinwald, east of the Rheinwaldhorn. In  the area of the headwaters of the Rhine, the term "Rhine" is used as part of the name of many rivers, in many different spellings, such as "Rhine", "Rein", "Rain", "Ragn", "Ren", "Reno" and "Rin". Source of the Rhine according to maximum discharge. If one were to use largest discharge as one's criterion for deciding which flow should be called "Rhine", one need not look at eastern Switzerland at all, since the Aare has a larger discharge than the Rhine at the confluence. However, in the rest of this article, the Aare will be ignored. The source of the  main flow path can be obtained by following the river upstream and determining at each junction which the larger river. At the confluence of the Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein (forming the Rhine) at Reichenau, the average of the Vorderrhein is 53.8 m³/s and the discharge of the Hinterrhein is somewhat larger at 59.6 m³/s. At the mouth of the Albula, in the natural state, the latter is larger than the Hinterrhein (29.1 m³/s for the Albula compared with 27.3 m³/s for the Hinterrhein). At the mouth of the Landwasser, the latter is significantly larger (9.45 m³/s compared to 5.57 m³/s). Among  the headwaters of the Landwasser in the Davos area, the Dischmabach is slightly larger than the Flüelabach, even if considering the former small tributary flowing out of Lake Davos. This implies that the hydrological main branch starts at the top of the Dischma, far away from greater rivers bearing the name "Rhine". The current values of the average discharge are rather different from the natural values, because many hydropower plants draw water from outside their natural catchment and this water bypasses some gauging stations. Water is retrieved from southern parts of the Vorderrhein watershed and released into the Hinterrhein, or  taken from the Hinterrhein and released into the Albula, or taken from the Landwasser and Albula and released into the lower Hinterrhein (e.g. Albula-Landwasser Hydropower). In the upper Landwasser Valley, water is retrieved from the Flüelabach and Davosersee and released in a neighbouring valley near Aeua in the Klosters area. Source of the Rhine by length. Near the "source of the Rhine" at Lake Toma, there is a well-known sign with the erroneous information, "1320 km to the mouth"; it is only about 1230 km. The number of 1320 km is widespread. It is unclear whether it refers  to the river length as measured from Lake Toma. It may be the result of transposing digits. The flow path from the source in Lake Toma through Rein da Tuma measures about 71 km to the confluence of the Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein. From there it is more about 1160 km downriver to the North Sea. There are, however, some longer flow paths in the Vorderrhein area. Measuring the longest path from the source to the confluence at Reichenau: The flow paths in the Hinterrheins tend to be slightly shorter: The longest headwater of both the Vorderrhein and the Rhine as  a whole, therefore, is the Reno di Medel, rising about 7.5 km south of Lake Toma. Its spring and upper reaches are located west of the Lukmanier Pass in the municipality of Quinto in Ticino. Size of the catchment areas. The catchment area of the Vorderrhein covers about 1512 km²; the basin of the Hinterrhein (including the Albula and Landwasser), is slightly larger at 1693 km². The percentage of precipitation flowing down the river is fairly similar in the valleys of the headwaters of the Rhine, so the size of the catchment area tends to be proportional to the average  discharge, and therefore this criterion does not need to be considered separately. Summary. No clear hierarchy can be established among the headwaters of the Rhine. The two main systems, the Vorderrhein in the west and the Hinterrhein in the south and east, differ only slightly in length, discharge and size of their catchment areas. The longest paths begin in the upper Surselva (valley of the Rein Anteriur) and the upper Landwasser Valley, respectively the most western and the most eastern parts of the headwaters area. The source of the hydrological main path would be found in the east, in the  Dischma (valley of the Dischmabach).