The Gouët () is a river in the department of
Côtes-d'Armor
The Côtes-d'Armor ( , ; ; , ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990 (, ), is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.[Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...]
, France. It drains into the
English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
.
Geography
The river's source is found at the top of Kerchouan, a shale geological feature located in the commune of
La Harmoye. Il prend sa source à la
cime de Kerchouan, un relief
schisteux situé sur la commune de
La Harmoye. Much of the water is from rainfall, however, it is also influenced by a dam in
La Méaugon, which collects potable water for the nearby city of
Saint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc (, Breton language, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo language, Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France.
History
...
. This dam siphons off 86% of the surface of the basin.
The Gouët is an extremely polluted river. Its banks are the site of intensive agriculture, and in addition it receives runoff from multiple nearby
oil refineries
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefied pet ...
. Finally, the Gouët is polluted by the waste products from nearby food processing factories.
The river is long
and it empties into the
English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
at
Saint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc (, Breton language, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo language, Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France.
History
...
, at the port of
Légué, thus separating the cities of Saint-Brieuc and
Plérin. The width varies between 10 and 23 feet (3 and 7m). The average discharge measured between 1990 and 1997 was , with measured discharges of during strong winter floods.
The
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
has an area of
[ and the underlying rock is primarily ]granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
.
Tributaries
* The Gouédic, which empties into the river at Légué.
Towns
Quintin, Ploufragan, Saint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc (, Breton language, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo language, Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France.
History
...
, Plérin
See also
*Rivers of France
This is a list of rivers that are at least partially in France. The rivers are grouped by sea or ocean. The rivers flowing into the sea are sorted along the coast. Rivers flowing into other rivers are listed by the rivers they flow into. Some rive ...
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gouet
Rivers of France
Rivers of Brittany
Rivers of Côtes-d'Armor
0Gouet