Le Pas des Ondes

The Cornillon-sur-l'Oule castle is one of the most impressive testimonies of the Provencal comtal power which controlled, between the 13th and the 15th century, a set of seigniories in the Oule valley, called the "claverie de l'Oule". The dimensions of the sides of its triangular enclosure are 44, 30 and 51 meters. To the east and below the castle stood the medieval village of Cornillon which only a portion of the northern wall that meets the castle is still visible.

The fish fauna of the lake was introduced during the creation of lakes in the 90s. Among these non-endemic fish in the environment are carp, roach, tench and rainbow trout, introduced to promote recreational fishing. The most representative species is the carp but we also find the Chevesne and the Common Perch (only predator). Two fishing pontoons are set up on site, including one for people with reduced mobility.

Between the banks of the river and those of the lakes, the gray heron and the Martin fisherman each have their hunting stations while the Black Milan occupies the role of the cleaner by recovering the corpses of fish and amphibians. The water bodies also host several species of remarkable birds for the region, in staging areas such as the Knights Cul-blanc and Guignette, the Northern Shoveler or Garganey and exceptionally the Osprey.

Les libellules et les demoiselles sont très présentes sur le site du Pas des Ondes. Sur 30 ans, 33 espèces ont été recensées. Parmi celles bordants les lacs, on peut citer l’Agrion élégant (Ischnura elegans). Les mâles sont de couleur noir-bronze. La tête, le thorax, la base de l’extrémité de l’abdomen sont marqués de bleu ciel à maturité. Sur les bords de l’Oule, le Gomphe à forceps (Onychogomphus forcipatus) est la plus présente. Son corps et sa face sont jaunes et noirs, et ses yeux nettement séparés. Les appendices du mâle sont en forme de fortes griffes crochues.

The hydraulic system of the bathing water of the Pas des Ondes reconstitutes a natural scheme of operation thanks to its settling basin where circulates the water that comes from the Oule with a flow rate of 30 L / s. The purpose of this pond is to filter and capture the fine particles of silt in suspension to limit the turbidity of the water and to keep a maximum of clarity for swimming. Once past the swimming lake, the water flows into the fishing pond before returning to the Oule.

Due to their good integration into the natural site of Pas des Ondes, these two water bodies do not necessarily show that they are actually artificial. Developed in the 90s to support local tourism development, the site of Pas des Ondes has since been an oasis particularly popular in the summer season. The smallest of the water bodies is intended for swimming while the largest is reserved for fishing.