Barrage de la Gittaz, Arch-gravity dam in Beaufort, France
The Barrage de la Gittaz is a 65-metre-high arch-gravity dam in the Beaufortain massif, on the Gittaz torrent in the Savoie. Its concrete wall is 164 metres long at the crest, 3 metres wide at the top and 47.8 metres at the base, holding back the 37-hectare Lac de la Gittaz at 1,562 metres.
Work on the dam began in 1962, after the Roselend and Saint-Guérin dams were filled in 1960 and the Roselend–La Bâthie complex entered service in 1961. The Gittaz dam was completed and filled in 1967, adding 13 million cubic metres of storage to Lake Roselend. Its water reaches Roselend through a 2 km conduit before being turbined at La Bâthie, near Albertville.
The dam takes its name from the Gittaz torrent it holds back, pronounced "Gitte" locally. Its 13.7 million cubic metres of water are not turbined here: they pass through a 2 km conduit into the Roselend reservoir, then travel 14.5 km by gallery to the Bâthie power station above Albertville.
Summer is the best time to visit since mountain roads become difficult or impassable during winter due to snow and ice. Check local conditions before heading out, as spring melt-off can also affect road access during transition seasons.
The reservoir holds 13.7 million cubic metres, and its water does not go straight to a turbine: it first travels through a 2 km conduit into the Roselend reservoir, then a 14.5 km gallery and a 2,500 m penstock feed the underground La Bâthie plant, giving a fall of about 1,200 m.
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