Canal de l'Ourcq

Canal de l'Ourcq
Location of the Canal de l'Ourcq in relation to Paris and the rivers Marne and Seine (from the European Waterways Map & Directory, 5th ed., Transmanche)
Specifications
Length	108.1 km (67.2 mi)
Locks	5
History
Date approved	1802
Date completed	1822
Geography
Start point	Port-aux-Perches near the village of Troesnes
End point	Bassin de la Villette
Connects to	Ourcq, Canal Saint-Martin

Canal de l'Ourcq

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Location of the junction of the three canals at the Bassin de la Villette in Paris; the Canal Saint-Denis heads northwest to Saint-Denis, and the Canal Saint-Martin south to the Arsenal basin.

The Canal de l'Ourcq (French pronunciation: [kanal də luʁk]) is a 108.1 km (67.2 mi) long canal in the Île-de-France region (greater Paris) with 10 locks.^[1] It was built at a width of 3.20 m (10.5 ft) but was enlarged to 3.7 m (12 ft), which permitted use by more pleasure boats.^[1] 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 cubic metres (84,000,000 imp gal; 100,000,000 US gal) of water daily for cleaning the sewer system, gutters, and parks.^[1] 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.^[2]

The canal is considered part of the 130 km (81 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.