Irrigation canals
Water, a thousand-year-old version
The irrigation canals of the Pays des Écrins: water, a thousand-year-old version
Here, the water does not always cascade. Since the thirteenth century, it has wisely followed canals dug by hand: béals, gullies or béalières. In the Pays des Écrins, these irrigation works crisscross meadows, orchards and hamlets, with exemplary precision and a sense of sharing.
At the time, there was no weather app or spirit level: just the eye, the shovel, and a well-respected 1% slope. A trickle of water is diverted from the Gyronde or the Durance, with wooden valves and timed watering towers. Today, it’s still flowing: in Vallouise, Freissinières, Saint-Martin-de-Queyrières, Les Vigneaux or L’Argentière-la-Bessée, the network is still active.
The materials have changed — concrete, nozzles, modern valves — but the system remains collective. And every spring, it scratches, it digs, it uncorks. The Authorized Trade Union Associations (ASA) organize the interview, with the help of local volunteers. A living tradition.
These canals are also a paradise for biodiversity: wetlands, frogs, orchids and butterflies settle there. In other words, it’s not just irrigation, it’s an ecosystem in progress.
Where to see the irrigation canals in the Écrins?
- Vallouise – Béalets Trail (4 km): shade, information and peaceful flow
- Les Vigneaux – Canals visible from balcony paths
- Freissinières – Loop around the Oules torrent
- L’Argentière-la-Bessée – Durance Canal: view of the old market gardening areas
Download the Hautes-Alpes Heritage app : interactive map, augmented reality, quiz for children… and surprises along the way.
The irrigation canals of the Pays des Écrins? A story of water… which continues to flow.