Cerveyrette
The Cerveyrette is a river in the Hautes-Alpes department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a tributary of the Durance, making it a sub-tributary of the Rhône.
Geography
The Cerveyrette is both a torrent and the valley it has carved in its upper reaches within the Queyras massif. One of its tributaries, the Blétonnet, collects water from the northern slopes of the Col d'Izoard. The upper valley contains one of the rare high-altitude wetlands in the region, at approximately, noted for its exceptional biological diversity.The Cerveyrette originates in the commune of Cervières at a location called Le Venton, west of Petit Rochebrune, at an altitude of. In its upper reaches, it is also known as the Ravin du Venton.
With a length of, the Cerveyrette is one of many Alpine tributaries contributing to the Rhône drainage basin.
The river joins the Durance on its left bank in Briançon, at an altitude of, less than from the railway station and near the municipal swimming pool, at a location called Les Preyts.
Midway along its course, the Pont Baldy dam provides a storage capacity of up to.
Communes and Cantons Traversed
The Cerveyrette flows through two communes in the Hautes-Alpes department and one canton:- From upstream to downstream: Arrondissement of Briançon: Canton of Briançon-2: Cervières, Briançon.
Drainage Basin
Managing Authority
The river is managed by the Syndicat Mixte d’Aménagement de la Vallée de la Durance, which oversees the Durance Valley from Serre-Ponçon to the Rhône. The SMAVD manages the public fluvial domain of the Lower Durance and parts of the Middle Durance, focusing on flood management, safety improvements, sediment transport, natural heritage preservation, and balancing various uses of the river.Tributaries
The Cerveyrette has fifteen referenced tributaries:- Ravin des Chalmettes,, in Cervières.
- Ravin des Coutiers,, in Cervières.
- Torrent de Pierre Rouge,, in Cervières, below Grand Glaiza.
- Ravin du Rousset,, in Cervières.
- Torrent de la Tirière,, in Cervières.
- Ravin de la Côte Belle,, in Cervières.
- Torrent de Saint-Claude,, in Cervières.
- Ruisseau de Cabot,, in Cervières, with one tributary:
- * Ruisseau de la Grande Combe,, in Cervières.
- Ravin de la Grande Combe, below Grand Charvia, added by Géoportail.
- Ruisseau du Blétonnet,, in Cervières, with one tributary:
- * Ravin du Col d'Izoard,, in Cervières, with one tributary:
- ** Ravin d'Izoard,, in Cervières, below Grand Peygu.
- Torrent du Villard,, in Cervières.
- Ravin de l'Aigue Belle,, in Cervières.
- Ravin Mioillon,, in Cervières and Briançon.
- Ravin des Ruilles or Torrent de Chabrelle,, in Cervières, with one tributary:
- * Ravin de Comaire,, in Cervières.
- Ravin de la Grande Maye,, in Cervières, Villar-Saint-Pancrace, and Briançon.
- Ravin du Randon,, in Cervières and Briançon.
Ecology
ZNIEFF
The Cerveyrette is part of a Type I ZNIEFF established in 1988, covering in Cervières: "ZNIEFF 930020391 - Haute Vallée de la Cerveyrette - Marais du Bourget - Bois du Rebanc - Bois du Bourget." This area features a unique complex of wetland habitats, including marshes, peat bogs, ponds, and tall sedge communities. The Marais du Bourget was significantly altered in the 1980s by a road construction that split the wetland into two hydrologically disconnected sections. A major dredging operation in the 1990s further lowered water levels in the northern part.This Type I ZNIEFF is included within a larger Type II ZNIEFF, also established in 1988, covering across nine communes: "ZNIEFF 930012778 - Haute Cerveyrette and Blétonnet valleys - Upslope slopes of Grand Pic de Rochebrune."