Lac de Naussac, Reservoir in Lozère, France

Lac de Naussac is a reservoir created in 1980 by the Naussac dam on the Donozau, a tributary of the Allier, near Langogne in Lozère. It is the largest lake in the department, elongated southeast to northwest, with its southeastern half in Langogne and its northwestern half in Naussac-Fontanes. A dike closes the southeastern bay, forming a separate small basin about 500 m by 200 m.

Construction of the Naussac dam began on 1 October 1976, and protests soon broke out against the flooding of the old village of Naussac. The reservoir, completed in 1980 on the Donozau, a tributary of the Allier, was built to keep a minimum flow in the middle and lower Allier and the Loire during low-water periods.

The reservoir submerged the old village of Naussac, whose name it carries; the village of Naussac-Fontanes now stands on the north-western shore. Regular regattas are held on the water, and a beach near the village allows swimming. The dam was built on the Donozau stream, which joins the Allier about 800 metres north-east.

The lake lies along a southeast-northwest axis, with Langogne town centre about 1.5 km from the southeastern half and the village of Naussac just south of the water. A dam closes the southeastern bay, forming a separate small basin roughly 500 m by 200 m. Paths run to and around the lake, and a beach near Naussac allows swimming.

The dam, begun on 1 October 1976, flooded the old village of Naussac; residents protested against its destruction during construction. The reservoir holds water diverted from outside the Allier's natural flow to keep the Loire's level steady, and the southeast bay is closed off by a dike forming a separate small basin about 500 by 200 metres.