Creuse (river)

Creuse
Creuse River in Argenton-sur-Creuse
Origin	Plateau de Millevaches
Mouth	Vienne 47°0′22″N 0°34′7″E / 47.00611°N 0.56861°E / 47.00611; 0.56861 (Vienne-Creuse)Coordinates: 47°0′22″N 0°34′7″E / 47.00611°N 0.56861°E / 47.00611; 0.56861 (Vienne-Creuse)
Basin countries	France
Length	264 km
Source elevation	932 m
Avg. discharge	81 m³/s
Basin area	9,570 km²

The Creuse (Occitan: Cruesa) is a 264 km long river in western France, a tributary of the river Vienne. Its source is in the Plateau de Millevaches, a north-western extension of the Massif Central. It flows north-west through the following départements and towns:

• Creuse département (named after the river): Aubusson.
• Indre département: Argenton-sur-Creuse, Le Blanc.
• Indre-et-Loire département : Yzeures-sur-Creuse, Descartes
• Vienne département: La Roche-Posay

The Creuse flows into the river Vienne about 20 km north of Châtellerault. A tributary of the river Creuse is the Gartempe.

Diagram of the Creuse Dams

There are six hydroelectric dams on the river. Three are in the Creuse département and three in the Indre. The Eguzon dam, opened in 1926, was at the time the largest in Europe. The lakes created by the dams are popular spots for tourists.

Main tributaries

Left bank:

• Beauze
• Sédelle
• Gartempe

Right bank:

• Rozeille
• Petite Creuse
• Bouzanne
• Bouzanteuil
• Suin
• Claise
• Esves

References

• http://www.geoportail.fr
• The Creuse at the Sandre database