Technical tours

Génissiat: 10 years of a huge construction site, at the end of the Second World War, 10% of the energy production of the Rhône river, a jewel in the French industrial heritage!

Visit organised by CNR

With its impressive dimensions, the emblematic Génissiat power plant dam is an essential site in the Upper Rhône landscape, straddling the Ain and Haute-Savoie regions. It is also a landmark in national energy history: a few kilometres away from the border with Switzerland, this hydroelectric structure was the first to be built by the CNR in the Rhône valley.

CNR offers you an interactive and educational tour led by guides, where art, history and hydraulic technology are combined. Movies, objects, games, screens… allow you to discover the great adventure of the Rhône river and the energy mix obtained from water, wind and sun that CNR is developing.

In addition, the issue of driftwood arriving at the power dam will be discussed by the scientists who study it. Their origins, their management and the perspectives of their valorisation will be presented.

>> Practical information:

• Schedule: from 8:30am to 5pm
• 8:30am – Departure by bus in front of the University Lumière Lyon 2
• 5pm – Return by bus to Lyon 2 University
• Language: simultaneous translation into French and English
• Clothing: waterproof shoes

Disable access: the visit to the Genissiat central dam is accessible. The driftwood presentation is accessible by remote control with headphones to listen to the commentary.

Discovery of an industrial, natural and poetic Rhône river. Navigate from Lyon to Givors, a unique walk along the river.

Visit organised by the Lyon Metropole

The Lyon Metropole proposes an original discovery of the Rhône river in the Valley of Chemistry, in partnership with the Péniches du Val de Rhône (barge) and the Syndicat Mixte du Rhône, des Iles et des Lônes:

• Commented descent of the river from Lyon to Givors, on board the educational barge “La Vorgine”, with the discovery of the port of Lyon, the passage of the lock of Pierre-Bénite, the industrial complex of the valley, the restoration project of alluvial margins…
• After a lunchbreak on the boat, we will go toward the Round Table Island for a cultural and musical stroll along the banks of the Rhône, with Jean-Louis Michelot and the Atelier des Confins company.

• Schedule: from 8:30am to 4:30pm
• Accessible to people with reduced mobility
• 8:30am – Departure in barge : Meeting point to embark in front of the University Lyon 2
• 4:30pm – Return by bus to Lyon 2 University
• Language: simultaneous translation into French and English

REGISTRATIONS OVER

Romanche Gavet: how to erase and to make more efficient the hydraulic system while renaturing the river

Visit organised by EDF

The new Romanche-Gavet hydroelectric power station in Isère was commissioned in October 2020. Built by EDF, it combines all the ingredients of a project in favour of the planet. The new facility replaces 6 power stations and 5 dams and increases hydroelectricity production by 40% on the same stretch of river. The new power station is underground. In the heart of the mountain, it is integrated into the landscape of the Romanche valley. The project also includes a major component to improve the natural and aquatic environments from 2021 to 2024: the deconstruction of the sills and dams will ensure the free movement of fish. The hydromorphological aspect will enable the recreation of a natural river landscape, notably by ensuring the preservation of the stability of the watercourse and the widening of the banks. We will visit the new power station and the banks being redevelopped, accompanied by a partner with whom EDF has collaborated.

>> Practical information :

• Schedule: from 9am to 5pm
• 9am – Departure by bus in front of Lyon 2 University
• 5pm – Return by bus Lyon 2 University
• Language: simultaneous into French and English
• Clothing: waterproof shoes, full covering clothing

To access the site: come with the ID you provided at registration.

The Val de Saône: a walking tour to present the issues and the environment

Visit organized by EPTB Saône Doubs

480 kilometres, 3 regions and 6 departments: the Saône is the largest river in France in terms of the surface area of its basin of almost 30,000 km² and is one of the largest alluvial plains in France.

With a very low gradient, the Saône has a particularity: the size of its major bed which can extend up to 6 km from its banks.
Within this area, there are strong issues: drinking water resources, biodiversity, flooding, economic issues (agriculture, quarries, infrastructure, tourism, etc.).
The floodplain meadows of the Saône valley are particularly important because of their role as a biodiversity reservoir and a corridor on a European scale for a whole range of birds. The whimbrel is representative of the interest of these environments since 50% of the French population of this species of limicolous bird nests in the meadows of the Val de Saône.
The minor river bed is also a focus for strong issues in terms of biodiversity (islands, banks, platis, etc.) and uses, particularly navigation, which has been present since the 19th century.
Through an essentially pedestrian route of a few kilometres between Trévoux and Quincieux, we will discover the issues of flooding, water resources and biodiversity and we will stop more specifically on an example of a restoration project consisting of the connection of a fishing lake to the Saône.

>> Practical information :

• Schedule : 8h30 – 16h30
• 8h30 – Departure by bus in front of Lyon 2 University
• 16h30 – Return by bus Lyon 2 University
• Language : simultaneous into French and English
• Clothing : Waterproof shoes