Lac marin de Port d’Albret

Lakes, ponds, water bodies, marshland, springs

Lac marin de Port d’Albret

Lakes, ponds, water bodies, marshland, springs

Lac marin de Port d’Albret

Description

Vieux Boucau, which means 'ancient estuary', was formerly the 'Port d'Albret. In fact, had the Adour river not been diverted in favour of Bayonne it might well still be the premier Landes coast port. The seawater lake as we know it today came into being in 1966. Before its creation the commune was regularly confronted with the obstruction of the estuary due to it silting up. Numerous dike and dam projects followed and it was the creation of the seawater lake which eventually put an end to the silting up. In 1975 a Dutch dredger arrived by sea, created the canal and the seawater lake, and by 1976 the major drainage and filling of the lake was in place. Since then a touristic infrastructure has built up around the seawater lake.