The Caluire reservoir, located near the Usine des Eaux de Saint-Clair, was built in the 1870s. It has a storage capacity of over 4 million cubic metres of water and is supplied by the Usine des Eaux de Saint-Clair.
This plant treats water located in the town of Caluire-et-Cuire, in the northern suburbs of Lyon, France. It was built to provide drinking water to the inhabitants of Lyon, who suffered from a lack of quality drinking water.
Put into operation in 1856, 3 steam pumps known as Cornouailles produce some 20,000 m³ of water per day. These pumps are 20 m high and 13 m wide and weigh 200 tonnes! Their 35-tonne balance is activated every 6 seconds, allowing the sending of 600 m³ of water per hour. The plant stopped in 1910 and two pumps were dismantled in 1938.
It has been modernized over the years to improve its efficiency and treatment capacity.
Over the years, the Usine des Eaux de Saint-Clair and the Caluire reservoir have played an important role in the history of the Lyon region, providing quality drinking water to the population.
The Cornouailles pumps in Lyon operated until 1910 and the filter basins were used until 1976.
The complex, owned by the Grand Lyon, has been listed in the supplementary inventory of historical monuments since 1988. It is recognized as a remarkable industrial complex by Patrimoine Aurhalpin. The Cornouailles pump has been listed as a historic monument since 1991.
It is possible to visit the water plant by contacting the association L’eau à Lyon.
