European Council of Civil Engineers Working Group
250 years of Civil Engineering Heritage in Europe
Dams
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European Council of Civil Engineers
Working Group: 250 years of Civil Engineering Heritage in Europe
Proposal of Dams in France (1/5)
Barrage de Saint-Ferréol. Saint Ferréol Dam. Revel (Haute-Garonne), France (1675/1685).
Located in “La Montagne Noire”, the Saint-Ferréol Dam is an earth dam equipped with a masonry retaining wall in the
core. This dam is devoted to feed in water the “Canal du Midi” (registered at the UNESCO world Heritage) which
links the city of Toulouse and the Mediterranean Sea. At construction, in 1675, the dam was 30m high.
Later on, it was hightened until 36 m high in 1685.
For around 200 years, this remarkable work was the highest earth dam in the world.
Designer: N. de Clerville
Contractor: Pierre-Paul Riquet
www.vnf.fr °
Picture : Copyright Voies Navigables de France/Direction Inter-Régionale Sud-Ouest °
Barrage Zola. Zola Dam. Le Tholonet (Bouches du Rhône), France (1854).
The Zola dam, on the Infernet River, is located in Le Tholonet, South East of France. It was devoted to water supply of the city of
Aix en Provence, as well as for industrial use by factories.
The Zola dam is a masonry arch dam, 42m high, 68m long. At the time of construction, it was the highest in its category. It was
considered for a long time as a model in the US basic book on dams by Wegmann (Editions from 1888 to 1927).
Engineer : François Zola (1795-1847)
www.web-provence.com °
Picture : web-provence.com °
Barrage du Furens/Furens Dam. Saint-Etienne (Loire). France (1866)
This dam is built on the Furens River, which flows across the city of Saint-Etienne. Taking into account the rapid growth of this
city, construction of this dam was decided in order to supply the city in water for citizens, to protect the city from floods, to help
feeding factories in water. The Furens dam is a triangular masonry dam, 56m high, 100m long.
At the time of construction, it was the highest dam in the world.
Engineers: A. Graeff (1812-1884), E. Delocre
Document Jean-Louis Bordes °
°Thèse de Doctorat de J.L. Bordes (2002) : Mobilisation et régularisation des ressources en eau, les barrages-réservoirs du milieu du XVIIIè siècle au début du XXè siècle en France
Web general references: www.barrages-cfbr.org www.industrie.gouv.fr
www.planete-tp.com www.stucturae.de
Georges Pilot (CNISF. France). January 2006
European Council of Civil Engineers
Working Group: 250 years of Civil Engineering Heritage in Europe
Proposal of Dams in France (2/5)
Barrage d’Eguzon. Eguzon Dam. (Indre), France (1926).
This gravity-arch dam in concrete was built in order to produce electricity (Electricité de France).
It is 61m high and 300 m long.
At the time of construction, it was the most powerful dam in Europe.
Engineer : C. Rabut
Contractor : Enterprise Chagnaud
www.structurea.de °
Picture : Jacques Mossot °
Barrage de Marèges. Marèges Dam. Ussel (Cantal) and Neuvic d’Ussel (Corrèze), France (1934).
This dam is built on the Dordogne River in order to produce electricity (Electricité de France).
It is an arch dam in concrete, 90 m high and 198 m long. Apart this exceptional height at the time of construction, this dam
shows considerable innovations in dam design and construction: vault involving a double curvature, abutment stabilized using
500 tons anchorages (monitoring using vibrating wires cells), construction of the foundations using an innovative cofferdam.
Engineer : André Coyne
Contractor: Entreprise Ballot
www.industrie.gouv.fr/energie °
Picture extracted from Internet Web site of DGEMP - Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry °
Barrage de l’Aigle. Aigle Dam. Mauriac (Cantal), France (1947).
This dam was built on the Dordogne river in order to produce electricity (Electricité de France).
It is a combination of gravity and arch dam, in concrete, 92 m high and 290 m long.
Its specific character is to be located in a very narrow gorge which obliged to develop a very innovative design. The whole
structure integrates the vault dam, the power plant, and the 2 ski jumps spillways which are acting downstream-top of the power
plant.
Engineer: André Coyne
Contractors: Entreprise Ballot, Entreprise Bachy
www.industrie.gouv.fr/energie °
Picture extracted from Internet Web site of DGEMP - Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry °
General references : www.barrages-cfbr.org
www.industrie.gouv.fr/energie/hydro/données/
www.planete-tp.com
www.stucturae.de
Georges Pilot (CNISF. France). July 2006
European Council of Civil Engineers
Working Group: 250 years of Civil Engineering Heritage in Europe
Proposals of Dams in France (3/5)
Barrage de Génissiat. Génissiat Dam. Génissiat (Ain), France (1948).
Génissiat dam is built on the Rhône river in order to produce electricity (Compagnie Nationale du Rhône, CNR).
It is a gravity dam, in concrete, 104 m high and 165m long.
The power plant is established just at the basis of the dam, using a flow of 750 m3/sec (maximum) for the 6 hydraulic turbines.
Engineer : (CNR) P. Danel
Contractors : SGE, GTM
www.cnr.tm.fr °
Picture : Compagnie Nationale du Rhône °
Barrage de Tignes. Tignes Dam. Albertville (Savoie), France (1952).
This dam is built on the Isère River in order to produce electricity (EdF-Electricité de France).
It is an arch dam in reinforced concrete, 160 m high, 296 m long.
It is the highest dam in France.
Engineer André Coyne
www.structurae.de °
Contractor: L’Entreprise Industrielle
Picture : Adrien Mortini °
Barrage de Donzères-Mondragon. Donzères-Mondragon Dam. (Drôme-Ardèche), France (1952).
This dam is built on the Rhône River in order to produce electricity (Compagnie Nationale du Rhône, CNR).
It is a “plant-dam” in reinforced concrete, 32 m high, 248 m long.
Construction of this dam needed 18 Million m3 of earthworks, a very exceptional volume in Europe at this time.
Engineer: Conrad Zschokke Contractors: GTM, Joya, Chabert
www.cnr.tm.fr °
Picture : Compagnie Nationale du Rhône °
Web general references : www.barrages-cfbr.org
www.industrie.gouv.fr/energie/hydro/données/
www.planete-tp.com www.stucturae.de
Georges Pilot (CNISF. France). July 2006
European Council of Civil Engineers
Working Group: 250 years of Civil Engineering Heritage in Europe
Proposal of Dams in France (4/5)
Barrage de Serre Ponçon. Serre-Ponçon Dam. Gap (Hautes-Alpes), France (1960).
This dam is built on the Durance River in order to produce electricity and to feed agriculture with water (EdF-Electricité de
France). It is an earth dam, 129 m high, 600 m long, equipped with an impervious earth core, the highest earth dam in
Europe.
It was constructed using 2 technologies. For the dam itself, it deals with sophisticated compaction technologies transferred
from the USA. The soil foundation comprises mainly permeable coarse materials (110 m deepness) which needed to be
treated: innovative grouting was developed by the firm Solétanche for treatment of 60 m upper alluviums.
Enginee:r A. Decelle
Contractors: Citra, Soletanche, Sfd, Ossude, Fougerolles
Picture: Electricité de France
Barrage de Roselend. Roselend Dam. Albertville (Savoie), France (1960).
This dam is built on the “Doron de Beaufort” River in order to produce electricity ( EdF-Electricité de France).
It is a remarkable mix dam, arch dam and gravity dam (with counterweight walls), in reinforced concrete.
It is 150 m high and 806 m long.
Engineers: Jean Bellier, André Coyne, Jean Géhin
www.industrie.gouv.fr/energie °
Contractors : Truchetet Tanzini, EITP, Pascal
Picture extracted from Internet Web site of DGEMP - Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry °
Barrage de la Rance. Rance Dam. Dinard (Ille et Vilaine), France (1966) .
This dam is the unique one in the world using tidal effects in order to produce electricity (EdF- Electricité de France),
using very specific hydraulic turbine. It takes advantage of an exceptional tidal height, 14 m.
It is also used to support an important road.
It is 27 m high and 720m long.
Contractors: Campenon-Bernard, EGTH, SGE, Fougerolles
www.groupe-vinci.com °
Picture : Photothèque VINCI °
Web general references: www.barrages-cfbr.org www.industrie.gouv.fr/energie/hydro/données/ www.planete-tp.com www.stucturae.de
Georges Pilot (CNISF. France). July 2006
European Council of Civil Engineers
Working Group: 250 years of Civil Engineering Heritage in Europe
Proposal of Dams in France (5/5)
Barrage de Grand’Maison. Grand’Maison Dam. Grenoble (Isère), France (1984).
This earth dam is built on the “Eau d’Olle” River for electricity production (EdF-Electricité de France).
It comprises an earth core and rock slopes.
It is 160 m high and 550 m long, the highest earth dam in France.
Engineers : Edf Equipement, Coyne et Bellier
www.groupe-vinci.com °
Contractors: Razel, Bouygues, Bec, Chantiers Modernes.
Picture : Photothèque VINCI °
Barrage de Petit Saut. Petit Saut Dam. Sinamary (Guyane), France (1994).
Petit Saut dam is built on the Sinamary River for electricity production.
It is a gravity dam, constructed in concrete, using the « Rolled compacted concrete » technology.
This dam is 45 m high, 740 m long, but its main characteristics is to have the largest reservoir volume of all the French dams :
3.500 hm3.
Enguneers : EdF CNIH Contractors : Entreprises Dumez, Ballot, Chantiers Modernes, Bec.
www.industrie.gouv.fr/energie °
Picture extracted from Internet Web site of DGEMP - Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry °
Web general references: www.barrages-cfgb.org www.industrie.gouv.fr/energie/hydro/données/ www.planete-tp.com www.stucturae.de
Georges Pilot (CNISF. France). July 2006