Correction du Rhône, Valais, Suisse

On 14 June 2015, the people of the Valais region said yes to the referendum on the 3rd Rhone correction upstream of Lake Geneva in Switzerland by 57%.

This Rhone development project is a commitment with investments over 20 years to finance the river works and secure the Valais river basin in Switzerland.

A look back at several months of debate to organise the correction and control of the Rhône River and its tributaries in the Swiss part at the foot of the Alps.

Rhone river correction, Valais Switzerland

Press review: Correction of the Rhône in Switzerland

  • The results of the Valais vote on the referendum on the financing of the 3rd correction of the river: to be read in the web newspaper 24 heures (French) en Suisse of the canton of Vaud.

Cantonal vote: The citizens have accepted the financing of the 3rd Rhone correction with 57% of the votes. They said no to the reform of the Constitution, notably because of the weight of blank ballots.

24 heures (French)
  • Correction of the Rhone River in the canton of Valais in Switzerland, 3 centuries of work and debate:

Each project sheds light on the social dynamics and, beyond that, allows us to understand the political dimension of man’s relationship with his environment. The 18th century proclaims without acting, the 19th century is conquering but weakened by its divisions, the 20th century is arrogant while the 21st century gives birth to a modest version where engineers suggest to give back to the Rhone river a part of its due.

Journal of Alpine Geography (French)
  • History of the correction of the Rhône River upstream of Lake Geneva from the Neolithic period to the present day:

In its part of Switzerland, the Rhône has undergone numerous developments aimed at controlling its course and reducing the harmful effects of its floods. In 1860, a flood caused considerable damage to the entire Rhone valley. This event triggered the decision to build the first Rhône correction between 1863 and 1894…

Wikipedia (French)
Rhone river correction in Switzerland
Map of the area affected by the Rhône 3

The 3rd correction in video

Rhone3Valais

Extract from the channel dedicated to the rhone3valais correction, here is the video entitled “Security for the future” (French):

Another video with this conference by Muriel Borgeat-Theler entitled
“In the footsteps of the Rhône: from the old river beds to the 3rd correction” (French)

Study in Valais of the 3rd correction of the Rhône (R3), another report on this theme (French):

The 3rd Rhone correction on the web

Safety for the future

The canton of Valais is offering a web space dedicated to the 3rd correction of the river, with 8 sections to help you understand the issues, the work and the Rhône:

Troisième correction du Rhône, Canton du Valais
  • The Rhône
  • Protection against floods
  • Danger situation
  • Works R3
  • Opportunities
  • History
  • Exhibition “See you on the Rhone”
  • Information centre

Direct access to the dedicated area (French):

Rhône Platform

Vallesiana is an information and resource platform dedicated to the Rhône River, created in partnership with the State Archives, the media library and the cantonal museums of Valais.

It proposes to discover the Rhône around 3 axes:

  • Documentary resources
  • Virtual exhibitions
  • Participate by proposing an archive document

Direct access to the platform (French/Allemand):

Map of the Rhône in Valais

Where does the Rhône river flow in Valais?
Here is a map showing the location of the river and the canton in Switzerland:

Along the Rhône