{"id":45865,"date":"2025-07-24T13:54:39","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T11:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.paysdesecrins.com\/my-desire-to\/discovery\/irrigation-canals\/"},"modified":"2025-07-28T16:00:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T14:00:26","slug":"irrigation-canals","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.paysdesecrins.com\/en\/my-desire-to\/discovery\/irrigation-canals\/","title":{"rendered":"Irrigation canals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Home<\/a><\/span> My desire to<\/a><\/span> My desire for Discovery<\/a><\/span> Irrigation canals<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

Water, a thousand-year-old version<\/h2><\/div>\n\n

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The irrigation canals of the Pays des \u00c9crins: water, a thousand-year-old versionHere, the water does not always cascade. Since the thirteenth century, it has wisely followed canals dug by hand: b\u00e9als, gullies or b\u00e9ali\u00e8res. In the Pays des \u00c9crins, these irrigation works crisscross meadows, orchards and hamlets, with exemplary precision and a sense of sharing. <\/p>\n\n

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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, Freissini\u00e8res, Saint-Martin-de-Queyri\u00e8res, Les Vigneaux or L’Argenti\u00e8re-la-Bess\u00e9e, the network is still active. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The materials have changed \u2014 concrete, nozzles, modern valves \u2014 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. <\/p>\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n

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Where to see the irrigation canals in the \u00c9crins?<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n