Abatesco
The Abatesco under the RT 10 bridge between Ghisonaccia and Sari-Solenzara, a small distance above its mouth
Native name	Abatescu (Corsican)
Location
Country	France
Region	Corsica
Department	Haute-Corse
Arrondissement	Corte
Physical characteristics
Source	200 metres (660 ft) south of Monte Formicola
• location	San-Gavino-di-Fiumorbo
• coordinates	41°56′22″N 9°13′11″E / 41.93944°N 9.21972°E / 41.93944; 9.21972
• elevation	1,700 metres (5,600 ft)
Mouth	Tyrrhenian Sea
• location	Serra-di-Fiumorbo
• coordinates	41°58′29″N 9°25′37″E / 41.97472°N 9.42694°E / 41.97472; 9.42694
Length	24.8 kilometres (15.4 mi)
Basin size	111 square kilometres (43 sq mi)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Buja, Macini
• right	Biaccino, Aglia

The Abatesco (Corsican: Abatescu) is a French coastal river which flows through the Haute-Corse department and empties into the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Geography

The watercourse is 24.8 kilometres (15.4 mi) long.^[1]

The Abatesco originates 200 metres (660 ft) south of the summit of Monte Formicola, which is 1,981 metres (6,499 ft) high, at an altitude of 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) in the commune of San-Gavino-di-Fiumorbo.^[2][3]

The source is very close to the famous GR20 hiking trail. The upper section is called the Tassi torrent. It only takes the name of Abatesco about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from its source.^[4]

It first flows from southwest to northeast, then generally flows from west to east. It flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea in the commune of Serra-di-Fiumorbo.^[2]

Neighboring coastal rivers are the Fiumorbo to the north and the Travo to the south.

Watershed municipalities and cantons

In the Haute-Corse department alone, the Abatesco drains four communes^[1] within one canton:

• Communes from upstream to downstream are: San-Gavino-di-Fiumorbo (source), Isolaccio-di-Fiumorbo, Prunelli-di-Fiumorbo, Serra-di-Fiumorbo (mouth).
• The Abatesco runs through the canton of Prunelli-di-Fiumorbo, the most southerly canton of Haute-Corse, in the arrondissement of Corte.

On almost all of its route, it serves as a boundary for the communes it runs along: Serra-di-Fiumorbo on its right bank, San-Gavino, then Isolaccio and finally Prunelli on its left bank.

Watershed

The surface of the Abatesco watershed is estimated as 111 square kilometres (43 sq mi) by Sandre,^[1] and as 89 square kilometres (34 sq mi) by a study published in the French Bulletin of Fishing and Fish Farming.^[5]

Managing body

The managing body since passage of the Corsican law of 22 January 2002 has been the Corsican Basin Committee (Comité de bassin de Corse).^[6]

Tributaries

The Abatesco at Pietrapola

The Abastesco has nineteen referenced tributaries:^[1]

Strahler number

The Strahler number of the Abatesco river is five from the Biaccino, Anzagara, Minagoli and Juva tributaries.

Human presence

The FORTEF tower in Migliacciaro

In the valley, in the places called Abbazia, Agnatello, Calzarello and Catastajo, a whole wood industry was born and prospered, run by the FORTEF company (Forêts - Terres et Forces du Fiumorbo). It extracted 6,000 cubic metres (210,000 cu ft) of sawed timber and employed 800 people in 1935, with 4,200 hectares (10,000 acres) of forests and 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of cultivable land. It fell into disuse in the nineteenth century.^[15] In particular, at the height of 69 metres (226 ft) on the Abatesco, a dam was built and hydroelectric plants (horizontal Pelton type or Francis type turbines^[16]) at the place called Agnatello, supplied the timber industry which also existed at less than a kilometer, at a place called Abbazia at altitudes of 54 to 38 metres (177 to 125 ft). In these same places, Corsican railways built a large railway bridge.^[17]

By the sea, less than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), and at an altitude of 9 metres (30 ft) the RT 10 (formerly RN 198) passes over the Abatesco. The old Roman road crossed about 500 metres (1,600 ft) further north-west of this bridge, near the place called Chiarata.

On the river's course there are the Moulin de Branca and the Moulin de Biaccino, while the Moulin de Rizzale is on the Biaccino stream.

Ecology

The river and its tributaries are populated with trout.^[5] A devastating flood for the fish population occurred in September 1989.

The mouth of the river has been classified as a Zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique (ZNIEFF) since 1985 covering 162 hectares (400 acres), which includes the Canna marshes and the Gradugine pond to the north, and the Palo pond to the south.^[18]

Notes

Citations

Sources