The dried-up pond of Marseillette is an atypical site in our region. To learn about and understand it, we must go back to the Tertiary period. At that time, the sea covered the area. As it retreated, it left ponds behind. This one must have been particularly important, as it would still exist if it hadn't been drained by humans during the 19th century.
Irrigation canals run through the pond, giving it a unique character.
Today, the pond's main crops are vines, apples, and rice, crops celebrated at the annual Aigues-Vives fair in October. It is even said that the salt, always present underground, contributes to giving these products the subtle flavor that makes them unique...
Near the Canal du Midi, its paths will lead you to the Aiguille Lock (Puichéric), a remarkable site where you can admire the sculptures of Joël Barthes.
The Marseillette Pond ASA manages the maintenance work necessary for the proper functioning of the kilometers of irrigation canals and the Naudy tunnel.
The pond covers the territory of the municipalities of Marseillette, Puichéric, Aigues-Vives, and Saint Frichoux.
Drainage, First Period
In 1585, the first attempt to drain the 2,000 hectares of stagnant water, where mosquitoes, vectors of many diseases, were teeming, failed (due to wars).
In 1605, on the advice of Sully and Olivier de Serres, the first agricultural encyclopedist, the royal decree mandating the drainage of the pond was issued.
Work did not truly begin until 1628, under the reign of Louis XIII, advised by Richelieu. A trench running through Puichéric allowed the water to drain into the Aude River: this was the Rigole de l'Étang.
In 1638, Théophile Ranchin completed the drainage of this lower part of the basin, but maintenance of the canals was neglected and cultivation was abandoned following a plague epidemic and a war, and most of the land was once again flooded.
Between 1644 and 1647, the Ranchins built the Château de Fonfile on the banks of the pond, where they settled to oversee the simultaneous drainage and cultivation work.
The dried-up pond was partially cultivated, but a supply of fresh water other than rainwater would have been necessary to make the land truly cultivable.
In 1677, Daniel de Ranchin had virtually abandoned the pond.