The underground chlorine gallery
Here is an underground exploration that is original to say the least: a foray into a spring catchment under a spa. The location is unexpected, as the river's outlet is hidden by a deluge of vegetation and rocks. Yet it is a town I had visited; not regularly, but at least a few times. I had never imagined such a place. It is a tunnel that was shown to me by a friend, to my utter amazement.
The premises are simple, a single gallery whose length is frankly not to be missed. Apart from this structural dimension—internally, one might say, it is certainly not Lorraine—the premises are very aesthetic due to the profusion of equipment within the gallery. All of this makes perfect sense.
On the one hand, the stream flows and empties into the river below. So far, nothing unusual. It is the water that we see on the ground. The spa has a high demand for water, which is understandable. A powerful pump room collects the water and pumps it higher up into the pools. This highly mineralized water is used in various pools, each more beautiful than the last. This is a very large spa.
After use, some of the water is returned, while other water is purified and then flows into a pipe that could be described as a sewer. The term is inappropriate because the water is not polluted. It is simply unsuitable for discharge into the river as is. This explains the profusion of pipes, which in other places would be naturally mineralized and colored.
In some underground pipes—logically thinking of the underground Bourdaric—we feel uncomfortable documenting the place because pollution is so omnipresent. We feel like we are exposing a despicable situation, but we also feel uncomfortable because we are not playing a purely activist role: our role is to highlight the unusual. What is pleasant here in this tunnel is to see good management. Everything is done to make it perfect.
In a tunnel, you are a bit in a world apart; it is ultimately the perfect extension of secrecy. You can do pretty much whatever you want there, since no one knows about it or can see it. That's how, feeling quite embarrassed, we discovered that a car wash was dumping all its foamy waste into the Mazerine; of course, it was dealt with, and quite quickly at that. Here, the secret closes in on a place that generates only a feeling of accomplishment and enhancement. It's beautiful and enjoyable to share.
It is undeniably a small passage. We have seen much larger underground rivers, such as the Senne underground river with its 8 kilometers of adventure at the limit of what is sustainable; it is also completely tasteless, not to mention the legendary Paillon underground river under Nice. Here, we are in the realm of the purely confidential, simple and welcoming. Are there any comparable galleries in the immediate vicinity? Honestly, everything suggests so. The thermal baths definitely bring some really interesting structures.
