Audenge is criss-crossed by numerous streams. The people of Audenge have made the most of these by building six mills and two wash-houses. These streams also create wetlands that are home to special animals and plants. Come and meet them!
The mills
Audenge has had six mills. Thanks to them, Audenge could have flour.
Certes mill
First water mill in Audenge. It was located at the foot of the feudal castle in the Certes Estate (Domaine de Certes).
Audenge mill (known as « the old mill »)
A mill that counts as two. First there was a tide mill. Then a water mill was built in 1769. Originally intended to produce flour, it was transformed into an electricity generating plant when Armand Duvigneau, mayor of Audenge, decided in 1904 to bring electricity to the town. The water was no longer used to power millstones, but turbines. Unfortunately, the flow of water from the Aiguemorte stream was irregular and insufficient. The Vieux Moulin stopped working for good in 1917.
La Jaugueyre mill
The only wind mill in Audenge, built in the early 19th century. It was sited upstream of the old port in Audenge.
Crabitère mill
A water mill demolished in 1909. Its bricks were used to build the foundations of the resin workers’ huts.
Braou mill
The only mill still standing in the commune. It is a water mill with a horizontal wheel built in the early 19th century. The Braou Mill has two pairs of millstones: one used to grind wheat, the other rye. They measure around 1.50 m in diameter and are 20 to 40 cm thick. The Braou Mill was in operation until 1938. It is located on private property.
Figures
- 6 mills once in Audenge
- 4 water mills
- 1 tide mill
- 1 wind mill
The leeches of Audenge
In the 19th century, leeches became part of the therapeutic arsenal. They were even found in pharmacies. In the early 20th century, Audenge became a stronghold of leech farming.
Although hirudotherapy (medicine based on the use of leeches) has been known since Antiquity, it underwent a major boom in the first quarter of the 19th century, thanks to the research of Doctor Broussais, chief physician at the Val de Grâce hospital, who believed that all illnesses stemmed from excess blood production and required the application of leeches. France became the world’s biggest consumer of leeches. Until then, fishing for them had met demand, with fishermen taking only the animals they needed and of a standard size. As prices rose with exponential demand, fishing became anarchic and leeches began to run out. In 1839, the Société d’Encouragement pour l’Industrie issued a call for tenders to find a company capable of farming leeches. By a happy coincidence, a few years earlier, the Béchades, farmers from Blanquefort near Bordeaux, had solved the major problem of feeding leeches, making it possible to preserve, reproduce and rapidly grow these worms. In 1901, they transferred their company to Audenge.
How a horizontal wheel mill works?
The wheel of a water mill can be positioned vertically (see diagram opposite) or horizontal, like the one at the Braou mill. Whatever the position of the wheel, the operation is the same. Water arrives at the mill wheel via an inlet pipe. The rotation of the wheel is transmitted to the millstones by various mechanisms.
Only the wheel on top rotates. This is called the rotating wheel.
The one below remains fixed. It is known as a dormant wheel. The face of each grinding wheel in contact with the other is engraved with spokes that serve to evacuate the flour as the grinding progresses.
the flour as it appears.
To make flour, you need grain, which the miller pours into the hopper.
The water tower
A water tower is a civil engineering structure comprising a high-capacity reservoir used to distribute drinking water. This water tower was the first to be built in Audenge. It was in service from 1958 to 1976 before the Lubec water tower took over.
Its tank can hold 600 m3 of water. Its inside diameter is 12.5 m.
This water tower is a landmark for sailors on the Basin, and is marked on nautical charts.
Definition
A reserve of water beneath the earth’s surface and the most important source of high-quality drinking water.
Audenge has two water tables. The one near Lubec (305 m deep) currently supplies the town with water.
How a water tower works
1. The supply pipe brings the water to the water tower. The water in the water tower comes from lakes, rivers or, as in this case, groundwater.
2. The pump raises the water into the tank, if the level is too low.
3. The tank is the water reservoir. When the water level is too low, the pumps start up and add water.
4. The distribution pipe brings the water to the users.
- Niveau maximal de l’eau : Maximum water level
- Conduite de vidange : Drain pipe for emptying and cleaning the tank
Figures
- 40.06 m high
- 600 m3 of water
- From 1958 to 1976
Did you know?
To operate, the water in the water tower must be stored at height. The pressure of the water supplied to the tap depends on the difference in level between the water in the water tower and the house: 10 m of difference in level is equivalent to 1 bar of pressure at the tap, 20 m to 2 bars of pressure, etc.
Streams, wash houses and mills in Audenge
- 7 streams
- 100 kms (approx.) of water courses
The streams
Lanton stream, Milieu stream, Pierrillon canal, Passaduy stream, Ponteils Stream, « Ayguemorte » stream also known as the Audenge stream, Trucails stream also known as the Badet stream, Vigneau stream also known as the Paillasse stream.
Wash houses
It was only the women who went to the wash house, with or without their children, to wash the clothes. It was a difficult activity, but doing it together, chatting or singing, made it more enjoyable.
The wash house was an important part of any town. It was where news from friends and family was exchanged.
People talked about what was going on in the town, sang songs and sometimes even bickered!
Audenge is home to the only two covered wash houses in the Basin still standing. Here, women were sheltered from the rain and wind.
- 2 covered wash houses on the Arcachon Basin
- 1912: First wash house in Audenge
Definition
Public pool for washing laundry. Its water comes from a spring or stream.
Boulevard Gambetta wash house, Ponteils stream
Audenge’s first wash house was built in 1912.
To do the washing, the women used a wooden tub in which they knelt. To protect their knees, they would place a jute sack or straw in it. The washing was beaten with a wooden beater to remove the detergent and then wrung out. This operation was repeated several times.
Audenge wash house, Aiguemorte stream
It took 25 years to build a second wash house in Audenge. In fact, it was not easy to find an empty plot of land on which to build a wash house. Built in 1936, the Audenge wash house has a 164 m2 roof. The rinsing basin is 14.80 m long. The wash house was renovated in 2021.
The streams
The two longest streams in Audenge are:
- Lanton stream: 15.7 kms (88.8 kms with its tributaries)
- Aiguemorte stream, near the water tower: 13.3 kms (23.8 kms with its tributaries)
These streams have two things in common:
- Trees and bushes that give shade
- A sandy bed with no vegetation
Did you know?
Behind the water tower is the conservation orchard garden, a place to remember and preserve old varieties of fruit.
It is home to 30 apple trees.
Eco-friendly management of green spaces
Since 2008, the town of Audenge has been working with the SIBA (Syndicat Intercommunal du Basin d’Arcachon) on communal weed control plans, which have led to stopping the use of pesticides in areas close to water: ditches, waterways, harbours, etc. In 2011, the ban was extended to the upkeep of green spaces, sports fields and cemeteries.
The town also introduced differentiated mowing and late mowing. Finally, a differentiated management plan has made it possible to limit heavy intervention on sites and to adopt a customised approach to maintenance that respects the ecosystems present.
Vegetation and fauna
The vegetation along streams (and watercourses in general) is called « riverside vegetation ».
It is essential to their proper flow. It is also a biological reservoir that provides shelter and food for the animals that live there.
Riverside vegetation – Structure and fonction
- A biological reservoir that provides shelter for the people who live there.
- Provides shade, which limits water heating up and evaporation.
- Strengthens the banks thanks to the roots of the plants, which hold back the soil.
- « Strate plantes herbacées« : Herbaceous stratum (plants with soft, green stems)
- « Strate arbustive« : Shrub stratum (plants 1 to 7 m high)
- « Strate arborée« : Tree stratum (trees over 7 m high)
Some of the animals living in the streams of Audenge:
- Planer lamprey
- Dace
- Pike
- European eel
- European mink
- Otter
- Marbled newt
The wetlands
Audenge has 3400 m² of wetlands. These are areas full of water, or which hold a lot of water all or some of the time. The water in these wetlands can be fresh water, salt water or brackish. These wetlands are vital. They help in:
– cleaning up the environment
– storing water to return it to the environment when needed
– welcoming plants and animals that could not survive without wetlands, such as half the world’s birds.
Ecological corridors
An ecological corridor allows animals to move between two areas. The Aiguemorte, Ponteils, Passaduy and Milieu streams are major ecological corridors.
- 3400 m² of wetlands
- 13.3 kms length of the Aiguemorte stream
Audenge wash house
This wash house was built in 1936 on the site of the mill pond of the Old Mill which was filled in around 1925. The wash house was an important place for socialising.
Audenge has the only two covered wash houses in the Basin.