The Blanche () is a tributary of the left bank of the

Acheneau The Acheneau () is a French river in the Loire-Atlantique Department, in the Pays de la Loire region, a tributary on the left bank of the Loire which is fed by the Lac de Grand-Lieu. Geography Beginning at the north of the Lac de Grand-Lieu, th ...

and thus a sub-tributary of the

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

Etymology

The name, Blanche, meaning white in

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

, is thought to derive from the presence of white chalk in the water from the lime kilns around Arthon-en-Retz. Another hypothesis is that the name derives from the white mist over its related marshland.

Geography

La Blanche is located entirely in the

Pays de Retz The Pays de Retz (; ; ) is a historical subregion of France that currently forms part of the Loire-Atlantique department, but once formed part of the Duchy of Brittany. The area lies between the southern shore of the Loire estuary and the '' Mara ...

, south of the Loire in the department of

Loire-Atlantique Loire-Atlantique (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Louére-Atantique''; ; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', ) is a departments of France, department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. ...

. It covers the municipalities of Chaumes-en-Retz ( Arthon-en-Retz and Chéméré),

Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaléons Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaléons (; ) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. Population Transport Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaléons station is served by train services between Pornic and Nantes. See also *Communes of the Lo ...

Cheix-en-Retz Cheix-en-Retz (, literally ''Cheix in Retz''; Gallo: ''Chaèz'' or ''Chi'', ) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. Population See also *Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department The following is a list of ...

and

Rouans Rouans (; ) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. Population See also *Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department The following is a list of the 207 communes of the Loire-Atlantique department of France. ...

Hydrography

The Blanche basin is bordered by the Acheneau basins to the north, the to the east, the

Falleron Falleron () is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and terr ...

to the south and the

Canal de Haute Perche The Haute Perche Canal ( ), despite its title, is a natural river, the , that has been slightly canalised to improve navigation between its mouth in the Bay of Bourgneuf at the port town of Pornic and the upstream settlements of , Chauvé and Ar ...

to the west. It has its source in the east of Chaumes-en-Retz and it flows eastward, fed from the north by streams from the and from the south from around Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaléons. After about 7km the river veers north and continues for 9km, fed by several streams from the west and east including the Ruisseau du Bois de Beaulieu at Pont Beranger. Its confluence with the Acheneau is in the marshes of the Marais de Cheix south of Cheix-en-Retz where it divides into two, the Vielle Blanche joining the Acheneau to Buzon while the Blanche continues to the west more channelled in a network of canals, joining the Acheneau further south-west of the town in the Marais d'Acheneau.

References

{{reflist Blanche Blanche Blanche