Will it soon be necessary to distribute bottled drinking water in certain municipalities of Tarn-et-Garonne, as is already the case in more than 100 municipalities in France? This is what the authorities want to avoid at all costs, who rely on education so that individuals and professionals further reduce their water consumption for non-essential uses. A new prefectural decree will come into effect on Saturday. It reinforces certain prohibitions, and clarifies others.
An alarming situation
The situation in Tarn-et-Garonne has been worrying for several weeks now. May was the hottest and driest month never recorded since records began in 1960, according to state services. And the situation is tough, since an episode of high heat is still in progress, we expect up to 40° again this week in the department. The departmental water resources committee met exceptionally this Wednesday, August 10, to take stock of the situation (usually, it only meets twice a year: before the low water period, then after to take stock , usually in November). In the aftermath, the prefecture announces the establishment of a new decree to strengthen and clarify the restrictions on the use of water.
In the Tarn-et-Garonne, the resource is particularly exposed to heat, since 80% of the supply comes from surface waterand only 20% groundwater (more protected from heat).
According to the authorities, more than half of the stocks have already been used for low water support. Some rivers are now threatening to run dry. “We are at a critical point with a period of intense drought. We have to manage to move forward by reconciling the interests of each other (…) Our big concern is to protect drinking water, and that we don’t arrive at a disruptive system. It would be the worst case scenario (…) We don’t want to come to this scenario, so we ask everyone to be responsible” pleads Catherine Fourcherot, secretary general of the prefecture of Tarn-et-Garonne and sub-prefect of the district of Montauban.
Detailed restrictions
Several decrees have already been taken to limit the use of drinking water outside of essential uses. But these texts are sometimes difficult to understand. The prefecture is preparing to detail them in a new decree which will come into force on Saturday, and which reformulates certain prohibitions, but also reinforces certain measures (concerning derogations from watering in golf courses for example). Among these, it is for example prohibited:
- to wash his car outside a professional station.
- fill or upgrade their swimming pool, Spa or similar (small plastic swimming pools are concerned!) if these are for family use. Campsites may have the right to derogations.
- to operate a public or private fountain. Exemptions may however be requested by the municipalities if these fountains are used as islands of freshness.
- to water the golf courses, with the exception of the greens between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. (within the limit of 30% of the usual volume).
- water sports fields. Again, exemptions may be granted if this poses difficulties in terms of safety or health.
The detailed list will be available for consultation in the decree of the prefecture, which must be published this Thursday, August 11. Furthermore, in the Tarn-et-Garonne, 11 agents from the French Office for Biodiversity are responsible for verifying the application of these restrictions. They are criss-crossing the department, mainly to raise awareness and do some pedagogy for the moment.