Lac de l'Astarac
Lac de l'Astarac, or Astarac reservoir, is a French reservoir located in the Gers department, Occitania region of France.
Geography
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Lac de l'Astarac covers two communes, Aussos and Bézues-Bajon. Its waters are held back by a dam stretching across the Arrats valley.
The lake is unusual in that it stretches over two valleys, the Petit Arrats[fr] river valley at the front and the Arrats river valley at the back, separated by a hillside that ends about 1 km from the dam. The lake is thus shaped like a Y. The lake is bounded on the east by a wooded hillside and on the west by the D40 (Route de l'Arrats).
History
[edit]The dam was built in 1976[1] to collect rainwater and water from the Pyrenees for agricultural use during the dry summers that are common in this area beyond the Lannemezan plateau.
Description
[edit]The existence of this lake is due to an embankment dam, very common in the area. It spans the Arrats valley, and has a spillway on the east side of the dam to evacuate excess water. With a surface area of 171 ha[1], the reservoir has a capacity of 10,000,000 cubic metres (350,000,000 cu ft).[1] It is managed by the CACG (Compagnie d'Aménagement des Coteaux de Gascogne [fr]).
Water is supplied by rainwater and by the Arrats and Petite Arrats rivers. The former, unlike the latter, is fed by the Neste canal[fr], which contributes all year round to the river's low-water level. The lake is thus part of the Neste hydraulic system, also managed by the CACG.[2]
Environmental protection
[edit]The Astarac lake and the Arrats hillside are listed as ZNIEFF type 1.[3]
Recently, the Lac de l'Astarac was included in the Natura 2000 network of the Lauze[fr] valleys and hillsides, further protecting the flora and fauna of the area.[4]
Ornithology
[edit] | You can help expand this section with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (November 2024) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Tourist activites
[edit] | You can help expand this section with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (November 2024) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Gallary
[edit] | You can help expand this section with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (November 2024) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c "All you need to know about carp fishing on Lac de l'Astarac, France". carpcircle.com. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ "LE SYSTÈME NESTE, À LA NAISSANCE DES RIVIÈRES DE GASCOGNE" [The Neste System, The Birthplace Of Gascony's Rivers] (PDF). Rives & Eaux du Sud-Ouest. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
- ^ naturelle, Museum national d'Histoire. "INPN, ZNIEFF 730010621 - Plan d'eau de l'Astarac et coteau de l'Arrats - Description". inpn.mnhn.fr (in French). Retrieved 2018-11-19.
- ^ "Développer le sport de nature autour du lac de l'Astarac". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-12.