Jura water correction

The correction of the waters of the Swiss Jura consisted of a wide series of hydrological undertakings carried out in Switzerland in the region of the three lakes: Lake Morat connected to Lake Neuchatel by the Broye Canal, the latter connected to Lake Bienne by the Thielle Canal, an area called the "Seeland”.

These projects included the operations of cleaning, restoration and diversion of rivers. The main works took place in three distinct phases during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The correction has helped regulate the hydrology. It limits the risk of flooding, particularly in the areas covered by the Aare River. It has also added vast areas of valuable agricultural land through the drying out and subsequent sanitization and improvement of the swamps which used to lie between these three lakes,

Many rivers have been corrected in Switzerland: e.g. the Rhône, has undergone several adjustments between the 19th century and the present day. However, the realignments in the Swiss Seeland are still the largest hydrological development in Switzerland.

At the foot of the Jura Mountains the region of the three lakes (Swiss Seeland) is part of the Rhine watershed. Each river of the region flows into the Aare River, which is a tributary of the Rhine.

Before the works started in 1868, the Aare River did not flow into Lake Bienne, but divided into several branches after the city of Aarberg, to join the River Thielle, which flows into and out of Lake Bienne, near Büren an der Aare. Depending on weather and water conditions, the alluvial deposits and debris carried by the current would form banks damming the course of the Aare, resulting in rising waters upstream and unavoidable flooding, affecting the economic health of the whole area.

The area affected by the correction extends for about 100 km between La Sarraz and Luterbach, currently impacting the cantons of Vaud, Fribourg, Neuchatel, Solothurn, Berne and Jura.

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Wikipedia