The construction of the Borchène dam is linked to the transport of water from Gileppe to Verviers. The option of building a dam can be explained by the urgency which shook the industrial world of Verviers, impatient to finally receive the long-awaited water. You should know that two valves allow water to be taken from the Borchène. These can therefore be sent directly into the covered channel. This is what happened in November 1872 because the connection with Gileppe was not yet operational. It will be in 1875. This water capture does not last long, however; following a complaint from local residents, the town of Verviers stopped this “diversion”. In 1898, after a typhus epidemic due to water pollution, the floodgates were permanently closed. The small lake retained its rural character for more than a century and became a swimming pool and a fishing spot.
In 2019 the dam underwent a cleaning and restoration process which brought out the beauty of the large limestone stones. They were doing great work in the 1870s! And solid!