Étang de Vaccarès is a lake, or, more accurately, a salt water
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...
(), in the wetlands of the
Camargue in the delta of the River
Rhône
The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...
in southern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
Description
The lake has an area of 65 km
2, and the depth is less than two meters. It is the northernmost, and also the largest of the lakes of the Camargue, and constitutes the principal element in the water control system of the Rhône delta, which depends upon a strict management of water resources, through pumping, irrigation and draining stations making a complex network of channels throughout the river delta.
The lake is also an important place for rest and food for
migratory birds, and it also has a population of the
greater flamingo.
Because of its importance for wild birds, the Étang de Vaccarès with its surrounding wetlands has been protected as a nature reserve since 1927, and in 1972 it was incorporated into the
Parc Régional de Camargue.
Pollution
Even though the lake is «protected», it is nevertheless exposed to the repercussions of
pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...
from the large industrial parks nearby, and runoff from the surrounding agricultural areas. Studies show that fish from the lake contains significant levels of contamination.
Study on the contamination of the fishpopulations in the Camargue (pdf, french)
/ref>
See also
* Camargue
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Etang De Vaccares
Camargue
Landforms of Bouches-du-Rhône
Vaccares