Lac de l'Astarac, or Astarac reservoir, is a French reservoir located in the Gers department, Occitania region of France.
Geography
editLac 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
editThe 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
editThe 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
editThe 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
editYou 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
editYou 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
editYou 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.