Réservoir des Lilas

The Réservoir des Lilas is an underground water storage facility in Paris's 19th arrondissement that supplies drinking water to the northern and eastern districts of the city. The facility receives treated water from purification plants located south of Paris and distributes it throughout its service area.

The facility was built in 1963 as part of a major initiative to triple water storage capacity in eastern Paris districts. This expansion was necessary to meet the growing drinking water demand of the city during the post-war decades.

The reservoir represents mid-20th century engineering solutions that shaped modern urban water management in the French capital.

The facility is not open to the public, as it operates as a working water storage and distribution center. Visitors can explore the surrounding area and observe the facility from outside to appreciate this essential infrastructure.

The land where this facility stands belonged to the neighboring municipality of Pré-Saint-Gervais until 1930, when it was annexed to Paris. This boundary shift was part of the broader urban transformations that reshaped the eastern edge of the city during that era.