Chapel of St. Michel on Lake Serre-Ponçon, Hautes-Alpes, France
Lake Serre-Ponçon, known as the ‘Sea in the Mountains,’ was formed in 1961, when the Durance River was dammed to help prevent flooding in nearby communities. It’s considered one of the largest manmade lakes in Europe and is a major source of hydroelectric power, irrigation, and tourism. The historic Chapel of St. Michel, established in 1020 and rebuilt in the 17th century, survived the flooding of the valley—but it became an island destination in the process.
Often when quoting something from Wikipedia some of the software overlaps onto pictures and other things. I wasn't able to delete the Search window which is touching the picture. However, if you click on the photo it brings up many other photos in a page of this lake too on your computer, tablet or smart phone.
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Lac de Serre-Ponçon - Wikipedia
Lake Serre-Poncon | Lakes France
Lac de Serre-Ponçon
| Lac de Serre-Ponçon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Hautes-Alpes |
| Coordinates | 44°31′N 6°21′ECoordinates: 44°31′N 6°21′E |
| Type | artificial lake |
| Primary inflows | Durance, Ubaye |
| Primary outflows | Durance |
| Catchment area | 3,600 km2 (1,400 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | France |
| Max. length | 20 km (12 mi) |
| Max. width | 3 km (1.9 mi) |
| Surface area | 28 km2 (11 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 90 m (300 ft) |
| Water volume | 1.272 km3(1,031,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Residence time | 0.5 year |
| Surface elevation | max. 780 m (2,560 ft) |
Lake Serre-Ponçon (Lac de Serre-Ponçon) is a lake in southeast France; it is one of the largest artificial lakesin western Europe. The lake gathers the waters of the Durance and the Ubaye rivers, flowing down through the Hautes-Alpes and the Alpes du Sud to the Rhône River. The waters are dammed by the Barrage de Serre-Ponçon, a 123 m high earth core dam.
As well as water control, sixteen hydroelectric plants use the water and the lake provides irrigation to 1,500 km² of land.
History[edit]
The lake was created to control water flow after disastrous floods caused severe damage and loss of life in 1843 and 1856. First proposed in 1895, construction started in 1955 and was completed by 1961.
During construction of the lake, approximately 3 million m3 of material was moved. The dam was constructed and the valley slowly became a lake, flooding some villages in the process. This flooding is the subject of Jean Giono's movie Girl and the River, starring Guy Béart.
Neighboring communes:
References[edit]
- French Department of Industry
Media related to Lac de Serre-Ponçon at Wikimedia Commons
 | This Hautes-Alpes geographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
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