This
horse-shoe-shaped basin is about 9.5m long and 7m wide. The walls are 1m thick. The pipe
from Gorze comes out in the round part of the horse-shoe.The pipe from Sainte-Fontaine is
a little further up. 
.
This
horse-shoe-shaped basin is about 9.5m long and 7m wide. The walls are 1m thick. The pipe
from Gorze comes out in the round part of the horse-shoe.The pipe from Sainte-Fontaine is
a little further up. .
In the center, another rectangular basin is to be found. It is about 4.2m long, 3.3m wide and 1.3m deep. Since the bottom is lower than the starting of the twin pipes that run all along the bridge/aqueduct, it can be assumed that it acted as a clarification basin ( i.e. sand and other impurities fell onto its bottom).
On
the north part we can see the starting of a pipe. It is thought to have been used to
supply the inhabitants of Ars sur Moselle and possibly to drain off excess water. The
water flow to this pipe and to the twin pipes of the bridge/aquaduc was regulated by
gates.
Like the rest of the structure it is built with a technique called 'petit appareil' and is waterproof thanks to a coating made with mortar and crushed bricks.
The basin was first brought to light by Benedictine monks at the beginning of the XVIIIth century. It was then buried again and remained so until the early 1970's. The structure underwent landslides and is now lower than it originally was.
The vestiges that were found during excavations suggest that it was covered by a vault. The walls were adorned with frescoes and statues. The basin might also have been used as a sanctuary for some God of Waters.
