Orne (river)
Template:Short description Template:For Template:Infobox river The Orne (Template:IPA) is a river in Normandy, within northwestern France. It is Template:Convert long.<ref name=sandre>Template:Sandre</ref> It discharges into the English Channel at the port of Ouistreham. Its source is in Aunou-sur-Orne, east of Sées. Its main tributaries are the Odon and the Rouvre.
Geography
The Orne flows through the following departments and towns:
- Orne (named after the river): Sées, Argentan
- Calvados: Thury-Harcourt, Saint-André-sur-Orne, Caen, Ouistreham
It also flows through the areas known as Suisse Normande and the Plaine d'Argentan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Its longest tributaries are, from source to mouth:<ref name=sandre/>
Lac de Rabodanges
In 1960 a dam at Rabodanges in Putanges-le-Lac was built by along the course of the Orne.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The dam created a 6 km artificial lake covering almost 240 acres, making it the largest lake in Lower Normandy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The lake is now a popular tourist destination and had a designated swimming area opened in August 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Name
The name of the Orne in Normandy, which is referred to as the Olinas by Ptolemy,<ref>Template:Cite DGRG</ref> is a homonym of Fluvius Olne, the Orne saosnoise in Sarthe, which Xavier Delamarre traces back to the Celtic olīnā (elbow).
Hydrology and water quality
The waters of the Orne are typically moderately turbid and brown in colour. Its pH level has been measured at 8.5<ref>Hogan, C Michael, Water quality of freshwater bodies in France, Lumina Press, Aberdeen 2006.</ref> at the town of St. Andre sur Orne where summer water temperatures approximate Template:Convert. Electrical conductivity of the water has been measured at 30 microsiemens per centimeter.Template:Citation needed