Lac d'Avène, Reservoir near Avène, Hérault, France

Lac d'Avène is a reservoir in the Hérault department of southern France, formed by a dam on the Orb river. Dense forests of conifers, beech, and holm oak surround the water on nearly all sides, and a network of paths runs along the shoreline.

The dam was built by the Compagnie du Bas-Rhône-Languedoc between 1960 and 1962, creating the reservoir in 1962. It was intended for hydroelectric production, irrigation and flood prevention on the Orb, whose floods were destructive like those of other Mediterranean rivers. The lake was fully drained only once, in September 2000.

The lake lies between the villages of Ceilhes-et-Rocozels to the north and Avène to the south, and fishing shapes its everyday use: it is a first-category fishery known for large brown and rainbow trout, alongside white fish such as roach and carp and predators like zander and perch. There is no developed swimming area, so anglers fishing from the bank or from a boat are the usual sight.

Parking for cars and buses is available at the lake, and two nearby train stations at Ceilhes-Roqueredonde and Les Cabrils offer access from the rail network. Electric bikes are available locally if you want to cover more of the surrounding area.

The lake bed holds the flooded galleries of an old lead and silver mine, not a village. The mine was submerged when the reservoir filled in 1962, and the lake was drawn down only once, in September 2000.