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A water slope (french: Pente d'eau) is a type of canal inclined plane built to carry boats from a canal or river at one elevation up or down to a canal or river at another elevation.
A water slope (french: Pente d'eau) is a type of canal inclined plane built to carry boats from a canal or river at one elevation up or down to a canal or river at another elevation.
History
In 1885, German engineerJulius Greve
The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the c ...
published drafts for water slopes in German journals. French engineer Jean Aubert advanced the studies in the 1950s and 1960s.
To date, only two water slopes have been built, both in southern France. In 1973 the Montech water slope
The Montech water slope is a type of canal inclined plane built on the Canal de Garonne, in the commune of Montech, Tarn-et-Garonne, Southwest France. It is managed by the publicly owned Voies navigables de France and by-passes a series of five l ...
(french: Pente d'eau de Montech) was put into service on the ''Canal latéral à la Garonne
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow und ...
''.
In 1983 the Fonserannes Water Slope
The Fonseranes Water Slope (french: Pente d'eau Fonséranes) is a disused inclined plane on the Canal du Midi parallel to the Fonseranes Lock. It has a rise of and a slope of 5°.
This technique for a water slope was described by the French en ...
was inaugurated near Béziers
Béziers (; oc, Besièrs) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Every August Béziers hos ...
on the Canal du Midi
The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (french: le Midi). Originally named the ''Canal royal en Languedoc'' (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to ''Canal du Midi'' in 1789, the canal is considere ...
. Both water slopes run parallel to existing lock flights. Both water slopes are currently out of service and in disrepair. However, the slopes and their moving engines can be viewed from a distance.
Operation
The water slope uses a moveable gate in a sloping channel. To ascend the slope the moving gate can be opened to allow a boat to enter the concrete channel. The gate then closes off the bottom of the channel and seals off a wedge of water on which the boat is floating, within the channel. The moveable gate is drawn up the sloping concrete channel pushing the wedge of water before it until reaching the upper water level. When the water level in the wedge is equalised with that of the upper canal, an upper (non-moving) gate is opened and the boat is then allowed to float free. Descending the water slope is the reverse of the ascent.See also
* Boat liftFurther reading
* *References
{{Commons category, Fonseranes water slope Canal inclined planes