The Bassin de Naurouze is an octagonal holding tank, created during the building of the

Canal du Midi The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (). 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 considered one of the g ...

as designed and built by

Pierre-Paul Riquet Pierre-Paul Riquet, Baron de Bonrepos (; 29 June 1609 (some sources say 1604) – 4 October 1680) was the engineer and canal-builder responsible for the construction of the Canal du Midi. Early life Born as Paul Riquet in Béziers, Hérault, Fran ...

. It was abandoned a few years after construction of the canal because of its recurrent silting problems. The flow of water from the

Bassin de Saint-Ferréol The Bassin de Saint-Ferréol (Languedocien dialect, Languedocien: ''Lac de Sant Ferriòl'') was created as the result of a large earth dam across the mouth of the valley of Laudot stream at St. Ferréol in the Montagne Noire. It was originally pro ...

joins the

at this point near the Seuil de Naurouze. Riquet hoped to build a city around the basin and also considered building a port. However, it easily filled with silt and its use discontinued. A lawn replaced the empty pool, and it is crossed by a straight path lined with plane trees.

Gallery

Image: France Canal du Midi épanchoir de Naurouze.jpg , Spillway in Naurouze Image: Naurouze Monument Riquet.jpg , Riquet Obelisk Image: France Canal du Midi bief de partage1.jpg , Water joins the Canal from the Bassin de Naurouze Image: Canal du Midi obélisque Riquet Naurouze.jpg , Riquet Obelisk Image: France Canal du Midi rigole de la plaine.jpg , Rigole de la plaine empties into the Bassin de Naurouze Image: France Canal du Midi bief de partage2.jpg , Summit level sign Image: FR06 P1100974.jpg , Lock on the Canal du Midi at Naurouze.

References

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