Alps rivers such as the Danube have major tributaries flowing into them that originate in the Alps. The Rhône is second to the Nile as a freshwater source to the Mediterranean Sea; the river begins as glacial meltwater, flows into Lake Geneva, and from there to France where one of its uses is to cool nuclear power plants. The Rhine originates in a 30 square kilometre area in Switzerland and represents almost 60 percent of water exported from the country. Tributary valleys, some of which are complicated, channel water to the main valleys which can experience flooding during the snow melt
Muota (river) Muota (river) The Muota is a river in the Swiss canton of Schwyz and a tributary of Lake Lucerne. It has a length of . The Muota rises on the Ruosalp, an alp to the north of the Glatten on the border between the cantons of Schwyz and Uri. Initially, it flows in a northerly direction through the tiny Bisistal before turning west to the villages of Muotathal and Ried. Beyond Ried, the river flows through a narrow defile between the Gibelhorn and Stooshorn, passing under the Stoosbahn funicular that serves the mountain resort of Stoos, as it does so.