The Borchêne weir: idyllic

We continue to follow the road along the aqueduct, through the forest. In the depths next to us we hear the water of the Borchêne rippling until we suddenly come to a small lake. On second thought, this is also a studam. Pocket-sized, but no less picturesque. Generations of young people from the region have learned to swim here. There were even changing cabins and the whole thing was monitored by swimming monitors.

However, this small weir was not wanted by everyone. In the municipal council of Verviers in 1869 - this city was after all a major financier of the Gileppe project - discussions ran high. The mayor must have presented the council with a fait accompli. The 300,000 gold francs for this small weir were the reason for the discontent. And what did they need this weir for? Well, while waiting for the big dam to be finished, it seemed interesting to build a weir on the Borchène. After all, the aqueduct to Verviers would find its way here. It seemed like a 'small' effort to build an extra weir. The fact is that in 1872, about five years before the construction of the Gileppe weir, the water of the Borchène was able to supply the city's industry.

The people living near the river were not so happy because the weir closed off part of the necessary water. In 1989 there was an epidemic of typhus in the region. The reason turned out to be that the water of Borchêne was polluted because it ran through the meadows and the cows polluted the water.

Jan Rymenams