A village was emptied to build a dam, but the second phase never happened, leaving it empty yet intact for decades.
Village left empty by dam plans
In 1969, the village of Celles in the Hérault department was emptied of its 80 inhabitants as part of a plan to fill the Salagou dam. The second phase of the dam’s construction, which would have submerged the village, was never completed, leaving Celles empty but intact.Dam construction and expropriation
The Salagou dam was built between 1964 and 1968 as part of a project to create an artificial lake for irrigation. This required the expropriation of Celles between 1965 and 1969, as the village was located at an elevation that would have been submerged in the second phase of the dam’s filling.Water level and dam operations
The Salagou lake’s normal operating level is set at 139 meters NGF, with a capacity of 102.2 million cubic meters. In January 2026, a flooding episode temporarily raised the water level to 140.17 meters NGF, prompting water releases to return to the standard level.Village revival and new ownership
Celles has slowly revived, with 26 inhabitants registered in 2023. In July 2025, the ownership of the village’s houses was transferred to a trust fund called Cambas Rojas to prevent speculative resale and preserve the village’s heritage.New leadership and public access
In March 2026, Tom Brière was elected mayor of Celles, succeeding Joëlle Goudal-Brandalac, who had led the commune for thirty years. A team from France 3 Occitanie recently explored the Salagou dam’s structure, revealing its concrete interior to the public.
