Water features on the Canal du Midi
Open-knowledge reference entry
The balancing of incoming and outgoing water allows the Canal du Midi to operate as it does. Each time a lock operates, large quantities of water are either required to fill it or dump from it into the lower level pound. There must be a constant source of water in order to fill and the excess water dumped must have a place to exit the canal without it overflowing. Being able to provide this water source was one of the most important problems to be solved by Pierre Paul Riquet, its creator.
In the canal's original configuration of 1687, water was provided by the Rigole de la plaine from the River Sor and from the Bassin de Saint-Ferréol. The Bassin de Lampy was added later. Since the drought of 1989–1990, water can also be made available from the Lac de Montbel.
Water leaving the canal between locks, will exit through either a weir (French: déversoir) or a siphon (French: Épanchoir). Leaving through the weir, the water simply flows over the side of the canal via a stone or concrete ledge. If the water reaches a specific level, it may be siphoned off via a stone siphon.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Water features on the Canal du Midi” as open-knowledge reference entry. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as open-knowledge reference entry. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 24, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q7973496. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1687, 1989 and 1990.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Water features on the Canal du Midi”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Water features on the Canal du Midi primary sources, Water features on the Canal du Midi archive and Water research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Water features on the Canal du Midi”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Water features on the Canal du Midi” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.