Provence Canal

The Canal de Provence (French pronunciation: [kanal də pʁɔvɑ̃s]) is a system of canals that primarily carry raw water from the Verdon to across 110 communes in the Bouches-du-Rhône and Var departments. This network serves mainly the major cities of Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, and Toulon, with a total population of more than 2 million people. This canal system allows for irrigation of about 70,000 hectares (170,000 acres) of agricultural land, while also supplying water to more than 8,000 industrial sites across the region. Among the total length of 216 kilometres (134 mi), 146 of them are not directly on the ground, instead travelling in tunnels, pipelines, and aqueducts. The canal was first planned in the early 1960s, and came into use in 1964. The canal system was able to avoid effects of drought by supplying water to more arid regions and help with their economic development.