The Lac d'Esparron (; English: Lake of Esparron) is an artificial

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

on the departmental border between Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and

Var Var or VAR may refer to: Places * Var (department), a department of France * Var (river), France * Vār, Iran, village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Var, Iran (disambiguation), other places in Iran * Vár, a village in Obreja commune, Ca ...

, Southeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It was filled in 1967 following the construction of the hydroelectric dam in Gréoux on the course of the

Verdon River The Verdon (, ) is a river in Southeastern France, left tributary of the Durance. Its drainage basin is .

.Lac d'Esparron de Verdon
Esparron-de-Verdon. It is located near the village of Esparron-de-Verdon in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

, south of

Saint-Martin-de-Brômes Saint-Martin-de-Brômes (; Provençal Occitan: ''Sant Martin de Bromes'') is a commune in the southwestern part of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It lies on the small r ...

Situation

The lake is the last of five reservoirs established on the Verdon since 1963; of these, it is the third-largest by surface area after the lakes of Sainte-Croix and Castillon. Its creation flooded the entire plain under Esparron-de-Verdon, as well as raised the level of the river for 8 kilometres (4.9 miles) upstream from the lake. This had the consequence of cutting the old road leading to Saint-Julien in the Var department and engulfing the bridge, the sole building drowned at the bottom of the lake. The maximum depth of 55 m (180 ft) is measured directly above the dam. The Lake of Esparron is an important summer tourism centre, frequented for water recreation and for fishing. As on all the waters of the Verdon, the use of petrol motor boats is prohibited; electric boats and sailing are permitted. The remains of the old Verdon canal are on the shore facing the village of Esparron-de-Verdon. On the same shore, near the St Julien beach, is the first of two imposing water intakes that help feed the Canal de Provence. The water then passes through the Galerie des Maurras and other open galleries and canals to reach the Canal de Provence near Rians, Var.

Gallery

Lac d'Esparron 01.jpg, Marina Lac d'Esparron, Esparron-de-Verdon-8644-Pano.jpg, General view Stand up paddle, Lac d'Esparron, Esparron-de-Verdon-8652.jpg, Summer activities

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lac Desparron Esparron Landforms of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Landforms of Var (department)