BRL is over 50 years of history and geography of the region Languedoc-Roussillon, in particular the history of the development and management of water resources in the Mediterranean region.
The water control is an old idea in Languedoc-Roussillon. From the 1st century AD, the Romans built an aqueduct 50 km to supply the city of Nemausus (Nimes), whose Pont du Gard remains the jewel.
the 17th century, it Riquet the engineer who built the Canal du Midi to help develop trade between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. It was followed two centuries later by Aristide Dumont, a contemporary of Gustave Eiffel. "Aristide Dumont was the first project to irrigate the right bank of the Rhone from a diversion of water from the river, captured near Valence (Drôme). Deemed Engineer, who designed the particular water supply networks Lyon and Nimes, Aristide Dumont will fight all his life for his project to fruition. He got him declared of public utility and gives rise to a subscription. But he died in 1902 without the project has seen the day because of widespread opposition. "
In the aftermath of WWII, a commission for the development of the Bas-Rhone and Languedoc is formed, chaired by lawyer Philip Lamour. It concludes with the need to construct a main canal diverting a portion of the waters of the Rhone to bring water into the plains of Languedoc Roussillon and those who were missing, especially during the summer due to a Mediterranean climate. In fact the original idea of Aristide resumed Dumont, adapting to the needs of Languedoc-Roussillon Motie of the twentieth century. He was able to use water as a vector for economic development of entire region French, initially for irrigation needs of agriculture. Commission led to the creation of the National Society development of the Bas-Rhone and Languedoc (CNARBRL), the first of its kind in NAS (Regional Development Companies). (Legend has it that the decree creating the company was signed by Pierre Mendes-France in February 1955 on the hood of his car before he goes to the Presidency of the Republic to hand over his letter of resignation from his as Chairman of the Council).
"In 1956, BRL was authorized by the State to take up 75 m3 / s in the Rhone to supply the towns of Lower Rhone and Languedoc (a tiny fraction of the 54 billion m3 of water annually rejects the river in the Mediterranean). A capital works program is initiated by BRL. It will last ten years. Water is taken from the river on the town Fourques (Gard), upstream of Arles, and then transferred via channels, on hundreds of miles to the outskirts of Nimes and Montpellier. This transfer will transform local agriculture, then turned to the monoculture of the vine. "
(Map 1 / 500 000th hydraulic facilities of the Bas Rhone and Languedoc as foreseen in 1956. The channels were then considered even in the Aude and an extensive network of dams should cover the Hérault hinterland. Copyright BRL).
"More than 66 000 hectares will be equipped for irrigation in the Gard and Hérault, between the Rhone and Montpellier and the diversification with the development of fruit crops and vegetables. The works are made by BRL also help to meet drinking water needs of cities of the plain and the coast, on which a major program of tourism development will be developed in the 70s. "
(Aerial view of the station and Dumont Aristide Canal Philippe Lamour, and taken to the Rhone on the Common fourques. Copyright BRL).
In 2005, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary. In 2008, the Company has grown entirely in the hands of the Region and other regional governments.
On the site of BRL, a wafer rich is available here. It tells the story of the company and at the same time part of the history of the Languedoc-Roussillon and that its present and proposed the company for years to come. I have extracted several documents and guidelines.
However, this document makes no mention of the water project Rhone-Barcelona from the early '90s, which included the construction of a buried pipeline intended to transfer 15 m3/sec (1.3 million m3/day) of Arles to Barcelona. This project was even submitted by the Director of the company at the time of the 1999 edition of FIG of Saint Die des Vosges . This project is regarded by some as "a little crazy" to have been built over a length of 330 miles (200 km in France, 130 in Spain) and it would require digging a tunnel under the Perthus 4 kms to again pass the buried pipe with a diameter of 2.80 m.
Since late 2008, the project appears in a limited edition under the title Aqua Domitia " (here we recognize the brand of the President of the Region Georges Freche, professor of Roman law, amateur immoderate references to the time of the Gallo-Roman province of Narbonne). Extension of the underground channel Philippe Lamour Mauguio, this project will be conducted to arrive at the station Puech Labadie, Fleury-d'Aude. The goal is to combine the water with that of Rhone Orb to increase and secure the supply from the west of the Hérault and Aude is. The project will have two links: one to the south of Montpellier, whose current cost is estimated at 54 million euros and a link biterrois two variants are planned for now.
This project is part of the forecasting process called "Aqua 2020", hosted by BRL since 2005 at the request of the Languedoc-Roussillon and the five departments (Aude, Gard, Herault, Lozere, Pyrenees-Orientales) . This approach involves the two major issues related to water: meeting future water needs and control of flood risk. "The diagnosis established by Aqua 2020 figure to 60 million cubic meters per year additional needs related to drinking water increased the population by 2020, representing 20% of current consumption. But the desire barely masked the region to benefit from this new infrastructure to try to sell again its water project at the Catalans, was politely but firmly "referred to the 22 meters" (rugby country requires) by the Catalan side English in November 2008. Nevertheless, the project was validated by the Economic and Social Regional in April 2009.
can read this with interest critical article on this project. It includes a 3D view with Google Earth, which illustrates the approximate alignment of this future water infrastructure.
Pending the achievement of this major new project in the history of water development in the region Languedoc-Roussillon, BRL offers here on his site visit on cartographic 1 / 25 000 IGN, the detail of existing infrastructure managed by BRL. This consultation mapping is done from a very simple interface but no feature mapping online. These plans. Pdf maps of the IGN 1 / 25 000, presented by slabs on which were postponed major water infrastructure.
cards are grouped into two areas:
- west
- sector.
Below is an example of slab Mauguio which ends at the west channel BRL ... for now:
(Copyright BRL, IGN)
Aujourd ' Today, BRL account approximately 600 people and several subsidiaries in France and abroad, where the company is active in the markets of the organization and management of water resources in many developing countries.
Among its areas of competence, BRL has developed an expertise in digital mapping and GIS (which I was modestly pleased to participate in the first half of the 90). Today, the company offers efficient solutions, particularly for simulation of flooding:
(GIS developed by OASIS BRL Engineering for viewing 3D floodplains. Copyright BRL)
This skill has resulted in the creation in 2006, in collaboration with Météo France and Info Terra, the company PREDICT, which assists local authorities in managing flood risk in crisis. This company offers including real-time mapping of the meteorological situation used to prevent and monitor live the storm and, where appropriate, to decide on evacuation measures necessary:
(BRL Copyright and PREDICT)
Small quick note: the only time the wafer BRL (widely referred to and used for this post) about geography is to evoke ... geography of the capital group. Certainly, the geography it serves really speak of many things ...
