A hydraulic project turned tourist attraction
Although the Domaine des Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure is now Wallonia's leading tourist resort, its history is relatively recent. In the early 1970s, a solution had to be found to regulate the level of the river Sambre, whose flow could be particularly low during dry periods. This impeded waterway transport on the Charleroi-Brussels canal. After numerous studies, the decision was made to create reservoirs in the Eau d'Heure valley.
Two dams were therefore built. The first at Silenrieux, on the Eau d'Heure, and the second near Boussu-lez-Walcourt, on the Plate Taille. These were linked to three pre-dams: Falemprise, Féronval and Ry Jaune. All this gave rise to five artificial lakes, which took several years to fill.
This remarkable area was created as part of an ambitious hydraulic project launched in the 1970s. The creation of the five artificial lakes – Plate Taille, Falemprise, Eau d'Heure, Féronval and Ry Jaune, the two largest of which, Plate Taille and Eau d'Heure, were designed to regulate the low water levels of the Sambre and to maintain the supply of the Charleroi-Brussels canal. The major engineering structures, such as the dams and the hydroelectric power station, still bear witness to this visionary feat of engineering. These large reservoirs also serve as stormwater basins to regulate the Eau d'Heure river in the event of heavy rainfall.
The lakes in a few dates
- 1974 - Construction of the dams
- 1981 - Filling of the lakes
- 1994 - Plans to build a tourist resort
- 2000 - Opening of the waterpark
- 2003 - Start of holiday tourism
- 2012 - Opening of Natura Parc
- 2016 - Inauguration of Bike Park