Lac d'Allier, artificial lake and reservoir of the Allier river in Vichy and Bellerive-sur-Allier, France

Lac d'Allier is an artificial reservoir between Vichy and Bellerive-sur-Allier, impounded in 1963 by the Pont-barrage de l'Europe, a bridge-dam at its northern end. It covers 1.2 km² and holds 3,000,000 m³ of water. The right bank borders Vichy's parks Napoléon-III, Kennedy and des Bourins; the left bank holds the sports facilities of Bellerive-sur-Allier, including the Tour des Juges and the Palais du Lac.

The lake was first filled in 1963 after waterway projects from the 19th century under Napoleon III had faced repeated setbacks. Completion of the dam finally allowed control of the river flow and transformation of the shore into a space for sport and recreation.

The lake takes its name from the Allier, the river it was built on. Since 1963 it has hosted national and international competitions in rowing, canoe-kayak, triathlon and water skiing; the 1963 world water-ski championships were held here at its inauguration. The Rotonde du lac and the Yacht Club were built on the shore from 11 July 1962.

The lake lies between Vichy's right bank and Bellerive-sur-Allier's left bank, where the sports facilities stand: the Pierre-Coulon omnisports park with the Tour des Juges and Palais du Lac, the racecourse, the golf course and the tennis club. The right bank is bordered by the boulevards and the quays, then by the Napoléon-III, Kennedy and Bourins parks. The Pont-Barrage de l'Europe closes the lake to the north.

The lake was filled in 36 hours on 10 June 1963, when Mayor Pierre Coulon opened the sluices; three million cubic metres of water were impounded. Anti-wave devices were installed on 28 June that same year for the water-ski world championships, and Maurice Herzog, Secretary of State for Sports, inaugurated the site on 1 September 1963.