The Intercommunalités de France association draws up an alarming observation in mountainous or sparsely populated municipalities, and pleads for the transfer of skills in water matters to the communities of municipalities, which must become obligatory in 2026. But certain actors express reservations.
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More than 50% of drinking water production is lost in 198 territories in France: this is the observation drawn up by the Intercommunalités de France association, which brings together nearly 1,000 communities of municipalities. In its report published Wednesday March 20, it provides a map of nearly 200 “black spots”, many of which had already been targeted by the government. These territories “display at least one water service with an efficiency rate* of less than 50%” And “more than half of the drinking water from this network is lost in nature”.
In 2022, the average rate of leaks in water distribution networks was estimated at 20% by theNational water services observatory. This means that one liter in five of drinking water did not reach its destination. The report from Intercommunalités de France, which is based on data from the National Observatory of Water Services, draws up an observation “alarming” in certain places, often mountainous areas or sparsely populated areas, where the installation and maintenance of networks can be difficult and expensive.
The Pyrénées-Orientales, affected by drought, the Hautes-Alpes, the Vosges and even Haute-Corse are among the departments most affected. In Ardèche, two municipalities – Astet (9%) and Lafarre (10.6%) – present a very low rate of return: for every ten liters of water distributed, only one reaches the home of the inhabitant in these two villages of barely 40 residents. Questioned by franceinfo, the mayor (without label) of Lafarre, Stéphane Roche, is surprised by these “wrong numbers” which he justifies by the absence of a water meter until recently.
Of the 198 networks listed by Intercommunalités de France, 151 are managed by municipalities, such as Astet and Lafarre, while 25 correspond to unions and 22 to intermunicipalities. VSThis mapping is a way for the association to support the transfer of skills in water matters to intermunicipalities, which must become compulsory in 2026, then that nearly 5,700 municipalities still manage water alone. For Intercommunalités de France, these data show a correlation between waste and isolated territories.
The management of small communities singled out
“In 75% of mapping cases, These are isolated municipalities which manage the water problem. We can no longer afford to waste water at a time when it is becoming scarce.” explains Régis Banquet, vice-president of Intercommunalités de France. For the one who is also president of Carcassonne Agglo, “certain elected officials have the impression that the water belongs to them, because they have a source in their municipality.” He affirms that “vs“It is with collective management that we will be able to curb these water leaks.”
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Michel Frison does not share this opinion. The mayor (without label) of La Roche-de-Rame (Hautes-Alpes), a mountain commune of 1,000 inhabitants which displays a yield rate of 32.7%, doubts that intercommunal management could resolve all the problems of mountain territories. “We must bring these figures into line with the reality on the ground. We have remote hamlets, some are located 2.5 km from our center. Detecting and repairing these leaks is not easy and the networks are old” , explains this councilor, who brushes aside accusations of waste, “water from leaks returning to the natural environment, in rivers”. He recognizes, however, that water management has evolved since his first mandate in 2001, “where water flowed freely”.
For Julie Trottier, research director at CNRS and teacher at Sciences Po Paristhese water leaks must be analyzed on a case-by-case basis, depending on the territory. “The fewer people you have per square kilometer, the more losses you will have, regardless of who manages water distribution,” explains the researcher, who explains that it is impossible to compare the situation of a rural commune with a large urban area. Beyond technical issues, water management is also a major financial issue.
“Many players are wary of a transfer to intercommunities, because there is a risk that water management will be transferred to a private company like Veolia.”
Julie Trottier, research director at CNRS and teacher at Sciences Po Parisat franceinfo
All the players interviewed by franceinfo agree on one point: work and regular maintenance of the networks are necessary to avoid water leaks. “The networks are aging and deserve to be renewed”, says Michel Frison, the mayor of La-Roche-sur-Rame. For his colleague from Lafarre, Stéphane Roche, this will involve intercommunal management, because the “work is expensive”, even more so for a small town of less than 100 inhabitants.
Intercommunalités de France estimates that it would be necessary to invest between 4 and 5 billion euros per year, for several years, to combat these leaks. In March 2023, the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, announced a plan of 180 million euros per year to absorb them.
*The yield rate is the ratio between the volume of water consumed by users and the volume of drinking water introduced into the distribution network.