DURANCE

Latin Druentia, principal river draining the French side of the Alps toward the Mediterranean. From its origin in the Montgenvre region, Hautes-Alpes dpartement, to its confluence with the Rhne below Avignon, it is 189 mi (304 km) long. The Claire and Guisane rivers, both of which are longer and more powerful streams than the Durance, join it above and in Brianon, through which it flows as a torrent. Receiving other tributaries, it passes through spectacular gorges and a stony valley to skirt Embrun. There it is tamed by the Serre-Ponon Dam, 16 mi downstream, which has formed a lake covering 10.5 sq mi (27 sq km) in the valleys of the Durance and of the converging Ubaye River. After entering the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence dpartement, it is joined by the wild Buech torrent above Sisteron. Dammed again below the town, it forms another artificial lake above the Chteau-Arnoux Dam, after which it is joined by the Blone and the Asse rivers. After receiving the Vernon River, the Durance turns west along the departmental border of Bouches-du-Rhne and Vaucluse to join the Rhne River. Several other large dams were constructed on the lower Durance and its tributaries, and extensive hydroelectric-power and irrigation-water supply projects were established after World War II.