Paris: the dams that prevent the Seine from flooding, and a capital under water

Published by Graziella de Sortiraparis · Photos by My de Sortiraparis · Published on December 17, 2023 at 04:56 p.m.
With the heavy rains of the last few days, the level of the Seine is close to 3m20, a high but rather normal height for the season, thanks to the dams that hold back the water upstream, to prevent Paris from being drowned.

Did you know that to avoid finding Paris under water, other towns can be flooded upstream of the Seine? During seasonal floods, caused by episodes of heavy rainfall, the capital rarely sees its water level rise above 3 or 4 meters, and this is thanks to the dams located upstream. Particularly in the Aube, one of the three confluences that join the Paris river, water reservoirs have been built to prevent flooding in the Paris region. Their purpose is to regulateexcess water in the rivers and prevent them from overflowing.

The four largest dams are located on the four biggest rivers: the Yonne, the Seine, the Aube and the Marne.

  • The Pannecière reservoir, built in 1949, near the town of Château-Chinon in the Nièvre region,
  • Lac-réservoir d'Orient, near Troyes, built in 1966 to directly regulate the Seine,
  • Lac-réservoir du Der-Chantecoq, inaugurated in 1974, between the Marne and Haute-Marnerivers, near Saint-Dizier.
  • The Temple-Amance reservoir-lake, composed of two lakes, impounded in 1990, also near Troyes.

In December 2023, don't worry, the Seine is at its usual level for the season, around 3m20. But in 2016 and 2018, the river rose to as much as 6 meters, wiping out the quays as not even the basins were able to absorb the surplus. To date, the flooding has prevented some boats from passing through, since as soon as the Seine level exceeds 1m60, at the Pont d'Austerlitz, river traffic is impacted, with some bridges lower than others. While waiting for the water to recede, some cycle paths remain closed, as the Seine is still under yellow alert.

L'histoire du Zouave du Pont de l'Alma, la statue qui sert à mesurer les crues de la SeineL'histoire du Zouave du Pont de l'Alma, la statue qui sert à mesurer les crues de la SeineL'histoire du Zouave du Pont de l'Alma, la statue qui sert à mesurer les crues de la SeineL'histoire du Zouave du Pont de l'Alma, la statue qui sert à mesurer les crues de la Seine The story of the Pont de l’Alma Zouave, the statue measuring the Seine’s spate
Have you heard about the Zouave, the legendary statue of the Pont de l’Alma assessing the level of the Seine during major floods in Paris? [Read more]

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