Lac de Vouglans
Encyclopedia
The Lac de Vouglans is the reservoir of the hydro-electric
power station
at Vouglans on the River Ain
in the département of Jura in the region
of Franche-Comté
in eastern France. The dam
, the Barrage de Vouglans is at coordinates
46°23′51"N 5°39′56"E.
rock crushed into north to south ridges by the Alpine orogeny
. It is therefore long and narrow, though rather sinuous in plan. It is about 30 kilometres long though only 21 km in a straight line. It lies in the valley of the Ain, impounded by the dam at Cernon
. The old village of Vouglans was displaced by its construction in 1968 by Électricité de France
(EDF).
The buildings of the Carthusian
monastery
of Vaucluse
were also moved to make way for the rising waters.
The lake is arranged for tourism with view-points scattered through the woods which cover the hillsides along its shores and places set up for bathing and boating.
The annual mean flow of water at the dam is 40.80 cubic metres per second.
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
at Vouglans on the River Ain
Ain River
The Ain is a river in eastern France. In the Franco-Provençal language it is known as the En.-Global position:The river rises at an altitude of some 700 metres, near the village of La Favière, in the Jurassic limestone of the southern end of the Jura mountains and flows into the Rhône about 40...
in the département of Jura in the region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
of Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
in eastern France. The dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
, the Barrage de Vouglans is at coordinates
Geographic coordinate system
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to be specified by a set of numbers. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represent vertical position, and two or three of the numbers represent horizontal position...
46°23′51"N 5°39′56"E.
Description
The lake lies on JurassicJurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
rock crushed into north to south ridges by the Alpine orogeny
Alpine orogeny
The Alpine orogeny is an orogenic phase in the Late Mesozoic and Tertiary that formed the mountain ranges of the Alpide belt...
. It is therefore long and narrow, though rather sinuous in plan. It is about 30 kilometres long though only 21 km in a straight line. It lies in the valley of the Ain, impounded by the dam at Cernon
Cernon
Cernon may refer to:*Cernon, Jura, a commune in the French region of Franche-Comté*Cernon, Marne, a commune in the French region of Champagne-Ardenne*Cernon River, a contributor of the Garonne river, in the southern France...
. The old village of Vouglans was displaced by its construction in 1968 by Électricité de France
Électricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
(EDF).
The buildings of the Carthusian
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
were also moved to make way for the rising waters.
The lake is arranged for tourism with view-points scattered through the woods which cover the hillsides along its shores and places set up for bathing and boating.
The annual mean flow of water at the dam is 40.80 cubic metres per second.
Statistics
- Width: 300 to 800 m (330 to 870 yd)
- Capacity: 605,000,000 m³ (2,137 million ft³)
- Mean annual flow: 40.80 m³/s (1,441 ft³/s)
See also
- Schéma directeur d'aménagement et de gestion des eauxSchéma directeur d'aménagement et de gestion des eauxIn France, the schéma directeur d'aménagement et de gestion des eaux aims to put into effect the principles of the law of 3 January 1992 on the level of the major hydrographic basins. In translation, its name is outline for the organization of the development and management of water...
- Hydro and the environment