The lac de l'Ailette, or lac d'Ailette, is an

artificial lake 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 ...

in the

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Geography

The lac de l'Ailette is an agricultural dam on the territories of

Chamouille Chamouille () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The lac de l'Ailette forms most of the commune's southern border. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The followi ...

and Neuville-sur-Ailette, about 11 km away from

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...

and 36 km away from

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

. It is located at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of the Bièvre and Ailette valleys. The lake lies on the course of the Ailette river, a subsidiary of the

Oise river The Oise ( ; ) is a river of Belgium and France, flowing for from its source in the Belgian province of Hainaut, south of Chimay. It crosses the border with France after about . It flows into the Seine at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, a north-wester ...

Hydrology

History

The lake was put into service on October 15, 1983, and reached its maximum theoretical level on February 5, 1984. It was built as a part of a department leisure park for it enabled regional authorities to avoid building smaller lakes or facilities.

Tourism

The lake is located on th
GR 142

Center Parcs Center Parcs may refer to: * Center Parcs UK and Ireland Center Parcs UK and Ireland (formerly Center Parcs UK) is a short-break holiday company that operates six holiday villages in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, with each cover ...

' Le Lac d'Ailette residence is located on the side of the lake.

Environment and fauna

20 ha of

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

, 200 ha of

coppicing Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management Forest management is a branch of forestry concerned with overall administrative, legal, economic, and social aspects, as well as scientific and technical aspects, such as silviculture, pro ...

and 100 of

barren vegetation Barren vegetation describes an area of land where plant growth may be sparse, stunted, and/or contain limited biodiversity. Environmental conditions such as toxic or infertile soil, high winds, coastal salt-spray, and climatic conditions are of ...

and

meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifici ...

disappeared due to the implementation of the lake. Yet the site hosts numerous bird species. In December 1987, 107

Aves Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

-class animals were censed. This number rose to 116 as of December 1988. More recently, between February 1999 and February 2007, Daniel Baverel identified 177 species on the site; this analysis showed that 207 bird species have ever been present on site, including 76 nesting birds. Also, the lake hosts several species that are rare in

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

, including ''

Najas marina ''Najas marina'' is a species of aquatic plant known by the common names spiny water nymph, spiny naiad and holly-leaved naiad. It is an extremely widespread species, reported across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Americas and many oceani ...

'', '' Groenlandia densa'', claspingleaf pondweed,

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...

, '' Caenis lactea'' and

emerald damselfly ''Lestes sponsa'', is a damselfly, with a wide Palaearctic distribution. It is known commonly as the emerald damselfly or common spreadwing. Both males and females have a metallic green colour and when resting its wings are usually half opened. ...

. The lac de l'Ailette is protected as a natural zone of ecological interest, fauna and flora.

References

Ailette Ailette Geography of Aisne {{Aisne-geo-stub