“On the horizon of 35 to 45 days, we could have a risk of rupture on a small part of the population”, explains this Tuesday, September 27 on franceinfo Bruno Lebreton, head of the Misen (inter-service mission for water and nature) in Côtes-d’Armor where there is a serious risk of a drinking water shortage, alerts the prefecture . Rainfall is below normal, “- 40% to – 50% depending on the sectors of the department”he added.
franceinfo: What is the situation?
Bruno Lebreton, chef of the Misen: We have a system that is based on a supply of drinking water from dams, rivers and groundwater. Groundwater is breaking, groundwater levels are very, very low, and we have to play with our three main dams to try to supply the whole department. We have dams that are at an abnormally low level for the season. Today, we have a dam that has weaknesses since we had to draw more water during the summer period. On the horizon of 35 to 45 days, there could be risks of rupture on a small part of the population.
How many people could be deprived of drinking water?
We would not be in a situation with a total disruption of the drinking water supply. We will be obliged, if we arrive at such a situation, to consider cuts in certain sectors. We will always have a level of local production that will enable us to supply perhaps part of the population, but not all of it. Today, making an estimate is a bit difficult. We hope to mobilize our additional resources, we are looking for water around quarries to replenish our factories, and at the same time we are asking everyone to make an effort on their consumption since there too we can hope to gain about ten days by reducing water consumption across the department. We are on a daily need of about 130,000 cubic meters per day.
What can individuals do?
You can save 15 to 20 liters, sometimes more, by paying attention to the level of the showers, shutting off the water. We also have everything that is aerator that can be fitted to a certain number of water taps and which saves about 50% of water. In case of water restrictions, avoid using potable water for watering, car washing, etc. Private consumption represents approximately two-thirds of the department’s drinking water needs.
What about businesses?
Industrialists have already been subject to restrictions since the end of July. They were asked to make an effort to reduce their water consumption by 25% or even 40%. They have already made these efforts. We are going to ask for a mobilization around all small businesses to have exactly the same approach as for individuals. For farmers, the situation is a little different, many have private resources with boreholes or wells. But these resources tend to dry up and we have a carryover to non-potable food. They are therefore asked to make an effort to ensure that there are no leaks at the level of the installations.