Tech (river)

The Tech () is a river in southeastern France, close to the French-Spanish border. It runs through a valley in the department of the Pyrénées-Orientales, in the former Roussillon. Its drainage basin is the river basin of Metropolitan France.
The river gives its name to two "communes" in the department: Le Tech and Arles-sur-Tech.
Geography.
The source of the Tech is on the eastern side of Roc Colom in the Pyrenees at an elevation of , in the "commune" of Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste.
It flows generally from southwest to northeast, first through the valley of Vallespir just to Ceret, and then through the Plain of Rosillon.
The Tech flows into the Mediterranean Sea at the Natural Reserve of Mas Larrieu, also called "Mouth of the Tech", to the north of the town of Argelès-sur-Mer.
The Tech river is long and its drainage basin has an area of approximately . The basin is composed of two areas that are quite different:
The flow of the Tech river was observed over a period of 38 years (1979-2013) in Argelès-sur-Mer, touristic town near the mouth of the river.
The discharge of the river at this location is per second.
Both the valley of the Tech and its mouth are part of Natura 2000, an ecological network of protected areas in the European Union.
Tributaries.
The Tech has 22 tributaries; the longest tributaries are:
Cantons along the river.
The Tech is entirely in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales. It crosses two "arrondissements", six "cantons" and 25 "communes". The two "arrondissements" are Céret and Perpignan.
As for the "cantons", the Tech has its source in the "canton" of Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste, and then flows through the "cantons" of Arles-sur-Tech, Canton Ceret, Thuir Canton, Canton Elne and finally Argelès-sur-Mer.
Landmark.
The Pont del Diable ("Devil's bridge") or Pont Vieux ("Old bridge") at Céret over the river Tech.