Ried (natural region)

The Alsatian ried (French pronunciation: [ʁid]) consists of meadows liable to flooding, and of gallery forests, whose vegetation is lush.

Formerly, it used to be many kilometres broad, spreading its sediments on a large zone, with Europe's largest water table discharging into the Rhine, or recharging from it, depending on the seasons.

Only the most recent dams, namely Gambsheim (F) - Freistett (D) and Iffezheim (D) - Beinheim (F), both of them located downstream of Strasbourg in the Petit Ried, produce electricity shared evenly by both states.

[2] In the Quaternary period, while the Rhine rift was subsiding, sediment made up of sand and gravel coming partly from the Vosges but above all from the Alps built up.

[5] Numerous sand and gravel pits can be encountered in the Ried, thus making Alsace one of the most productive regions in France, in terms of building materials.