The Canal and the water

The Seine-Nord Europe Canal is designed with water conservation in mind. First, it will have high-performance waterproofing that will allow minimal water infiltration through the bottom and edges. The waterproofing performance target will be equivalent to a 40 cm layer of clay.

Then, the locks are designed to recycle, thanks to water recovery and pumping basins, a very large part of the water used during a lock (passage of a boat through the lock).
The water supply will be from the Oise River, pumped from surface water. No water will be extracted from the water table. These withdrawals will have no impact on the water quality of the Oise River.

^{A 14 million cubic meter} reservoir will be created at Louette. It will serve as a backup to maintain the water quality of the Oise River during periods of lower flow. This 14 million cubic meter capacity ^will guarantee the supply of water to the Seine-Nord Europe Canal, even during very dry years like 1976.

Finally, by its design, the Seine-Nord Europe Canal will make it possible to locally reduce the intensity of flooding in the Oise thanks to a spillway located at Montmacq allowing the absorption of part of the flow of the river in flood towards the Canal, with a capacity 3 times greater than the current canal.