The Galaube Lake is a reservoir on the
Rougeanne River (also known as "l'Alzeau"), located between the
Tarn (
Arfons
Arfons (; oc, Arfonts) is a commune of the Tarn department in southern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions a ...
) and Aude (
Lacombe Lacombe may refer to:
Places
* Lacombe, Alberta, Canada
* Lacombe County, Alberta, Canada
* Lacombe, Louisiana, United States
* Lacombe, Aude, France
People
* Albert Lacombe (1827–1916), oblate missionary to the Cree and Blackfoot
* Bernar ...
) regions in
Occitanie Occitanie may refer to:
*Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French
*Occitania (administrative region)
Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...
, France.
Description
The idea of constructing a dam on the Rougeanne River dates back to the 18th century with the aim of improving the water supply for the
Canal du Midi
The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (french: le Midi). Originally named the ''Canal royal en Languedoc'' (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to ''Canal du Midi'' in 1789, the canal is considere ...
.
Pierre-Paul Riquet
Stele in Toulouse Cathedral
Pierre-Paul Riquet, Baron de Bonrepos (29 June 1609 (some sources say 1604) – 4 October 1680) was the engineer and canal-builder responsible for the construction of the Canal du Midi.
Background
Paul Riquet was b ...
, the designer of the canal, had envisioned building a water reservoir to better supply water to his creation through the Alzeau intake. However, it wasn't until 1985, during severe water shortages, that the project was considered. The construction was declared of public utility and general interest by decree on June 24, 1998. The
La Galaube Dam itself was built from 1999 to 2001 at an altitude of 720m by the "Institution interdépartementale pour l'aménagement hydraulique de la Montagne Noire" (IIAHMN), established in 1948 among the departments of Aude, Haute Garonne, and Tarn. With a cost of 100 million
francs, it supplies drinking water to several departments (Aude, Tarn, Haute-Garonne). It regulates the flow of the Montagne rigole and transfers water to the Camazes reservoir.
The La Galaube Dam is 43 meters high rockfill dam sealed with a
bituminous geomembrane
Bituminous geomembrane (BGM) is a type of geomembrane consisting of a reinforcing geotextile to provide mechanical strength and elastomeric bitumen (often called asphalt in American English, U.S.) to provide impermeability. Other components such ...
protected by
cast-in-place concrete. Its core is constructed using micaschist rock and spans over 400 meters. Various monitoring devices, such as piezometers and tacheometers, ensure the dam's ongoing safety and performance.
References
Lakes of France
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