Lac du Salagou, Artificial lake near Octon, France

Lac du Salagou is an artificial lake in the Hérault department, surrounded by red hills and cliffs that reflect in the blue water. The shoreline runs gently for several kilometers and offers many coves where visitors can reach the water.

The reservoir was completed in 1969 to provide irrigation water for agricultural land across the Hérault region. The flooding covered several hamlets and fields, creating the body of water seen today.

The lake takes its name from the Salagou river that feeds it, not from any village. Since 1973, films and individual scenes, especially Westerns, have been shot in the landscapes south and west of the water. The red ruffe badlands around the shore, with their pillow-shaped hills and erosion gullies, are what filmmakers and visitors come to see.

Several parking areas are spread along the shoreline road and provide access to different sections of the lake. The paths around the water are suitable for walking and cycling, while the lake itself can be used for kayaking and paddleboarding.

The lake bed was chosen for the impermeability of its subsoil, which holds the water level. The dam is a gravity structure with a core of basalt blocks, sealed on the lake side with bitumen concrete; it is 60 m high and 357 m long along its crest. A small 250 kW power station stands in front of it, in service since 1986.