Lot (river)

Lot
Pont Valentré in Cahors
Location
Country	France
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Cévennes
• coordinates	44°30′54″N 3°47′05″E / 44.51493°N 3.78462°E / 44.51493; 3.78462
• elevation	1,499 m (4,918 ft)
Mouth
• location	Garonne
• coordinates	44°19′0″N 0°20′6″E / 44.31667°N 0.33500°E / 44.31667; 0.33500
Length	485 km (301 mi)
Basin size	11,254 km2 (4,345 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	155 m3/s (5,500 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Progression	Garonne→ Gironde estuary→ Atlantic Ocean

The Lot (pronounced [lɔt] ^ⓘ), originally the Olt (Occitan: Òlt; Latin: Oltis), is a river in France. It is a right-bank tributary of the Garonne. It rises in the Cévennes mountains, flowing west through Quercy, where it flows into the Garonne near Aiguillon, a total distance of 485 kilometres (301 mi).^[1] It gives its name to the départements of Lot and Lot-et-Garonne.

The Lot is prone to flooding in the winter and spring, and has many dams in its upper catchment area, mainly on the Truyère, which produce hydroelectric power of strategic importance for the French national grid. Turbining can cause additional variations in flow throughout the 275 km of the river that has been extensively developed as an asset for tourism in the region. The major project to restore navigability of the river Lot was conceived by local stakeholders in Decazeville and Cahors in the 1970s. It meant restoring the many locks, and bypassing the medium-head dams built at five locations along the former waterway.

Olt is also the name of a river in Romania (Romanian: Olt; German: Alt; Latin: Aluta or Alutus, Turkish: Oltu, Ancient Greek: Ἄλυτος Alytos).