Nivelle (river)

This article is about the river in France. For the river in Australia, seeNivelle River (Queensland).

TheNivelle(French pronunciation:[nivɛl];widest acceptedBasqueforms:UgaranaorUrdazuri) is a 39-kilometre (24 mi) long river French department of thePyrénées-Atlantiques(France)flowing largely south-east to north-west, with only 7 km of its length being considered navigable. The river results from the union of various streams inUrdazubi(Navarre), going on to cross the Spanish-French border atDantxarineaafter 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) meandering acrossNavarresesoil. The river pours into theBay of Biscayon the bay ofSaint-Jean-de-Luz(Frenchfor Donibane Lohizune) after cutting its way between this town andCiboure(Frenchfor Ziburu) on its final stage. At this point, celebrated Basque French composer and arrangerMaurice Ravelwas born in one of the front houses overlooking the channel.

Nivelle
Nivelle at Ascain
Native name	La Nivelle(French) Urdazuri(Basque)
Location
Countries	SpainandFrance
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	WesternPyrenees
• elevation	520 m (1,710 ft)
Mouth
• location	Bay of Biscay
• coordinates	43°23′15″N1°40′9″W
Length	39 km (24 mi)
Basin size	233 km2(90 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	5 m3/s (180 cu ft/s) (measured atSaint-Pée-sur-Nivelle)

Variety of Basque names

For all its shortness, the river takes on several names inBasque languageat different stretches of the course, e.g.Sarrakaria,Urma,Uhertsi(spelled sometimesUr Ertsi), besides the aboveUgaranaandUrdazuri.This conspicuous diversity reflects the historic situation of the native language, deprived of official recognition whatsoever or transmission through formal schooling up to recent times (and still). Locals, when asked for the name of the river in Basque, often may answerU(r)handi,meaning "big water", a descriptive naming that has sometimes applied to the neighbouring and main river ofLabourdtheErrobi/Nive.

Troubled waters

The geographical situation of the basin makes its climate mild (average temperature 14 °C) under the influence of humid air masses blowing from the sea. Yet the clash between these air currents and the Pyrenean region spurs sudden showers frequently (average annual rainfall on the watershed 2,000 mm). On May 4, 2007, like in 1983, the banks of the river go through dire consequences on account of floods (170 mm pour down in 24 hours atSaint-Pée-sur-Nivelle). Many in the village and the whole basin were subject to extensive damage and injuries, including the facilities and equipment of the touristy caves ofUrdazubi/Urdax.Echoing a long-running claim of the inhabitants, the dam Lurberria was built in 2008 to contain swollen waters.

Fishing and river fauna

Brown troutis well entrenched in the river, especially in its upstream tributaries (more than 90 brooks). In contrast,salmon,troutandshadstick to the lower stretch of theNivelle,where they fall prey to fishers. Actually, since the 1990s a noticeable fail to achieve the upstream spawning areas has been detected in the salmon population, i.e. 470 individuals in 1993 vs 88 in 2003 (checked atSaint-Pée-sur-Nivelle), the fish remaining largely in the estuary where they are subject to fishing activity. This erratic behaviour has been put down to rising water temperature and climate change. Actually, the threshold of the 12 °C was topped 60% of the days from 2000 to 2002.

See also

• Battle of Nivelle