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| Lake name: | Salagou | Country: | France | GIG Region: | Med |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIG Type: | ---- | Lake code: | FRDL119 | Altitude(m a.s.l.): | 139 |
| Area (km²): | 7.2 | Mean depth (m): | 15 | Mixing regime: | ---- |
| Alkalinity (m eq/l): | 1.8 | Retention time (yr): | ---- | Chlorophyll a (µg/l): | 2.33 |
| Total phosphorus (µg/l): | 187.02 | Eutrophication status: | 2 - Medium | Hydromorphological status: | ---- |
Description
The Salagou lake is a 40 year-old reservoir but non affected by artificial water level fluctuations. This reservoir is closed to Montpellier (50km) in a winegrowing region, that's why its principal use is water supply for irrigation. About 27% of its big catchment area is covered by agriculture. This lake is very popular for recreative activities, due to water temperatures reaching 28°C during summer. Fauna and flora are very particular because of the red soils, made of iron oxide (called "Ruffe"). Two of the Biological Quality Elements were sampled in 2009: phytoplankton and macrophytes. Macrophyte communities are dominated by Myriophyllum spicatum and Ceratophyllum demersum. Within the WISER project, an hydro-acoustic sampling will be added to a gillnet survey of fish in 2010.
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