Les effets des moulins à eau sur la température des cours d'eau : l'exemple du moulin de Thévalles

Abstract

In recent years, in France, water mills have been rediscovered thanks to their ability to generate hydroelectric energy. As in the past, their operation depends on a weir pool, which nature is very similar to that of a pond during some seasons of the year, especially during summer, when flows aren't strong and the water column has thermal stratification. Thus, the objective of this article is to study whether downstream of this environment we find the same thermal effects generated by other types of reservoirs, such as summer warming or the reduction of thermal amplitudes. To do this, recording thermometers were placed upstream, downstream and in the weir pool of Thévalles (Mayenne, FR) water mill, which is fully operational today and which is inserted in a hydrological context representative of the French reality. The results obtained show that the effects on water temperature are generally weak both when the mill is in operation and when it is not.

Keywords

• weir
• water temperature
• water mill
• weir pool
• Thévalles mill