La Godivelle and its lakes

This city is composed of two very different lakes. The lake situated at the bottom of the village has a glacier origin, and dates back to 10 000 years. Before wide of 50 ha, it’s only 15 today. The vegetation colonized the lake, forming a peat land after several thousand years. In 1975, this pond and its sides were classified Natural Reserve under the name of Sagnes, to protect the exceptional biodiversity of the peat land. The lake situated in the upper village is a volcanic lake. This lake has a crater old of 113 000 years, and it is 44m deep. It covers a circular area of 14 ha, whose sides in gravels are void of vegetation. Its cold and transparent waters are poor in nutritive elements: it’s one of the most oligotrophic lakes in Europe. It’s also the water reserve of the village.