Mauzac Dam was built between 1838 and 1843 in order to feed the water supply point of the side channel.
Supplying the hydroelectric factory, inaugurated in 1920, required raising the dam for the first time between 1910 and 1918.
The second raising of the dam by 1.10 meters, between 1949 and 1951 allowed the waterfall to increase and the establishment of a sixth, more powerful, turbine. It changed village life considerably:
- Installation it of floodgates with a more important flow, preventing floods in the town when the water level rises
- Creation of a vast lake, for the joy of fishers, sailors, rowers and canoe-kayakers. The improved banks are a meeting place for hikers.
The “ferryman’s house” was made a into showroom. Photographs and postcards of “Mauzac in bygone days” are available there. Upstairs, Electricity of France(EDF) has set up an exhibit about the hydroelectric evolution, and the Fishing and Hunting Federations offer a discovery of the surrounding wildlife.

Mauzac Dam’s fish ladder has been operational since 1986. It was designed for fish to get over the 7 meters of height difference.
The structure with only one opening, to reduce the costs of construction, includes 23 successive basins each 3 meters long and 2.8 meters wide.