The removal of the Moulin Bas dam will allow the removal of six other weirs, giving salmon access to new spawning grounds on a new tributary further upstream.
The Souvigne is a river in the Massif Central in France that flows from Saint-Paul to Argentat-sur-Dordogne along a north-south axis for almost 18 km. The catchment area covers 111 km². The Souvigne is the last major tributary of the Dordogne before the Sablier dam. This artificial and impassable dam marks the upstream migration limit for large salmonids on the Dordogne.
According to a study carried out by ECOGEA for MIGADO in 2018, the Souvigne provided 8.4% of the spawning grounds for large salmonids in the Dordogne basin. The study noted that “the Souvigne should be given particular attention in terms of fish circulation”. The entire Dordogne Basin was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve on 11 July 2012, making it a space for sustainable development and innovation that combines biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage, and economic and social development.
This project is a follow-on demolition grant from a previous pre-demolition grant supported by the programme.
The work is being led by the SMDMCA (Mixed Syndicate of the Middle Dordogne and the Lower Cère), which manages the watercourses in the area, with the support of the European Rivers Network. The project is funded by the Open Rivers Programme and co-funded by the Adour Garonne Water Agency and EDF.
The obsolete Moulin Bas weir is located about 100 metres from the confluence with the Dordogne. In the 1990s, a fish pass was installed but it is now non-functional.
The Souvigne is classified in lists 1 and 2 of article L.214-17 of the Environmental Code, which includes obligations to restore fish migration and sediment transport.
This project will be followed in 2026 by the removal of six other upstream barriers, supported by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region and the Adour-Garonne Water Board. As the Moulin Bas weir is the first obstacle to be addressed on the Souvigne, removing it is crucial to justify and enable further restoration efforts upstream.
The project’s team aims to restore ecological and sediment continuity, improve the bed substrate, diversify habitats, and increase populations of Salmo salar and Salmo trutta.
Since the mill has been unused for many years, its removal will not result in any economic or social losses. On the contrary, it will allow the owners to comply with current regulations and help national authorities meet their environmental targets.
Restoring continuity at the seven existing weirs on the Souvigne will reopen 83% of the river’s linear section (17 km), up to a natural barrier. Including the tributaries, nearly 28.4 km of river will be reopened by the end of 2026.
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