Pond settling constitutes the final phase of ocher washing, with basins filled with ocher water. The heavier ocher settles at the bottom of the basin, and the water is evacuated by a system of draining plug. When the ocher thickness reaches about 19.6 inches (50 cm), the equivalent of 60 tons per basin, the drying phase begins. From July to the end of August, the ocher dries in the open air on a large platform known as a drying area.