Ourcq Canal
The Canal de l'Ourcq is a 108.1 km (67.2 mi) long canal of the Paris Basin with 10 locks. It was built at a width of 3.2 m (10 ft) but was enlarged to 3.7 m (12 ft), which permitted use by more pleasure boats. The canal begins at Port-aux-Perches near the village of Troesnes, where it splits from the channeled River Ourcq, and flows to the Bassin de la Villette, where it joins the Canal Saint-Martin. Paris requires 380 000 m3 (497,000 yd3) of water daily for cleaning the sewer system, gutters, and parks. The Canal de l'Ourcq provides about half of the requirement. Since 1983, the waterway has been designated for use by pleasure craft, and its water is designated for non-drinking uses.
The canal is considered part of the 130 km (80.7 mi) Parisian canal network, along with the Canal Saint-Denis, the bassin de la Villette, and the Canal Saint-Martin. The canals were created as part of the administrative management of water in Paris during the nineteenth century.
The River Ourcq's headwaters are located in the wet prairie near Fère-en-Tardenois in the Aisne département. The river is canalized in Silly-la-Poterie. Its water then follows an 87 km (54 mi) course through the valley and empties into the Marne River near Lizy-sur-Ourcq. Pipework diverts the river from Mareuil-sur-Ourcq, where most of the water flows to Paris via the current canal.
The first efforts towards engineering the waterway were inspired by the need for firewood for heating in Paris. The Valois and Orléans families owned a large tract of forest, and in 1560 a plan was devised to carry wood via a system of simple locks. In 1661, Louis XIV allowed tolls to be collected along the Ourcq River, payable to Philippe d'Orléans.
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