Bassin de Saint-Ferréol

The reservoir of Saint- Ferréol (French: Bassin de St. Ferréol or Barrage de Saint- Ferréol ) is a dam was built in the 17th century to supply water to the Canal du Midi at Naurouze and Revel on behalf of Louis XIV. The dam is located about 20 km from the summit level of the canal that connects the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, away. Architect and designer of the installation and the entire channel was Pierre -Paul Riquet. Louis Nicolas de Clerville was an engineer also involved.

The shut-off is a wall built of masonry, which was used to seal, with embankments on both sides, which provided for stability. The water-side dam is slightly lower. The dam was initially 30 m high and was in 1685 increased to 36 m. He is 780-800 m long and 120 m wide at its base. Between 1667 and 1672 up to 1000 workers were working on it. The dam impounds the river Laudot, a tributary of the Tarn, which gradually brings the water from the 30 km distant Montagne Noire.

From the dam from a water line ( trench de la Plaine ) was built to the village Naurouze where a few years later, the summit level of the canal has been placed.

The reservoir holds up to 6.3 million cubic meters of water and is 64 to 67 acres in size. The water table is at 350 m above sea level. It was at that time the largest built by people active storage system in the world. The dam was about 200 years and the highest earth dam in the world. Today he is one with the Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Below the dam there is a fountain, which is fed from the lake. It is 30 m high.