Deûle

The Deûle is a river in northern France, located in the Hauts-de-France region. Its headwaters lie in the Artois area, and it generally flows northward through the Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments until it joins the Lys. The Deûle basin has long been influenced by drainage, milling, and urban development, and its course through the Lille metropolitan area has been substantially altered by human activity.

In its lower course, the Deûle has been canalized to form the Canal de la Deûle, a navigable waterway that connects Lille with the broader French canal network and, via the Lys and Scheldt basins, to the Belgian waterways. The canalization supported industrial growth in the region and today serves commercial and recreational boating, fisheries, and tourism.

Historically, the river contributed to local agriculture and industry, powering mills and facilitating transport of coal, timber, and grain. In modern times, reaches of the Deûle are monitored for flood control and ecological restoration, with efforts to improve water quality and restore habitats for aquatic species.