While the municipality of Castries, in the Hérault, has just launched its “Eco l’Eau” challenge, aimed at reducing the water consumption of the inhabitants, many agglomerations are now thinking about ways to preserve the resource.
This is the case of the agglomeration of Saint-Malo in Île-et-Vilaine. “In 2017, we were at 17 days of water autonomy, explains Jean-Francis Richeux, the mayor of the town of Saint-Pere-Marc-en-Poulet, Vice President of the Saint-Malo conurbation, in charge of the environment and sustainable development.
“Today we have to think about other sources of supply to ensure our resource for the next 30 years. We have a residual deficit of 4 million m3, which is equivalent to 50% of the needs in the next 10 years” .
Jean Francis Richeuxat franceinfo
Currently, the municipalities of the agglomeration have 3 water reservoirs, including the Etang de Beaufort, located in Plerguer. It is the main water reserve of the country of Saint-Malo but there as elsewhere, there is a deficit. “The whole of Ile-et-Vilaine is concerned, explains Jean-Francis Richeux, even if the north of the department remains the most critical sector.
Today the agglomeration is turning towards the region of Dinan in the Côtes-d’Armor, which is richer in water. It also relies on water intakes in the Arguenon, a river located in the Plévin region.
“We will have to save water otherwise it will end up running out.”
Jean-Francis Richeux, president of the Beaufort water syndicateat franceinfo
“In Brittany we have always lived with water, but we will have to learn to save it”, continues Jean-Francis Richeux.
The mayor of Saint-Père-Marc-en-Poulet believes that water is not expensive enough, so citizens are used to pressing a button to see the water flow without asking questions. The objective of the elected officials of the agglomeration is to reduce the annual consumption per inhabitant to 15 m3 in the next 5 years, currently we are around 22 or 23 m3 annually.
“It is imperative to realize that water is above all a food good and that all the rest is often superfluous”, insists Jean-Francis Richeux. Currently we use 2% of the water for cooking and drinking, 4% for the shower.
In fact, it is a sum of small gestures that must be tamed: turning off the tap when washing your hands or brushing your teeth, equipping the flush with an economical mode, installing rainwater collectors and question the need for a swimming pool. “It’s a chasm”, is moved Jean-Francis Richeux.
Today, the water arrives in the pipes with a pressure of 4 to 7 bars, it is a significant pressure which allows the highest geographical sectors to have an average of 2 bars and a half to be able to simultaneously run a boiler, shower and faucet. Jean-Francis Richeux estimates that we should install pressure reducers at 2.5 bars in homes, which would make it possible to save 50% of water per year.
“In Israel, you should know that the drop of water is reused 5 times while in our country it is only used once”, he said. The elected official calls for major information and awareness campaigns to be carried out, like what is being done for electricity, whose bills are currently soaring.
“At the beginning of the 21st century, the pooling of water resources was set up via syndicates which are still the owners of water in France today”, explains Jean-Francis Richeux who insists on the fact that water is a common good and that it must remain so without undergoing the speculation that can be observed in the United States or Australia.
Today it is necessary to sensitize consumers but also local communities because water is necessary for the development of territories.
“Without water, no life, no economy”, explains the chosen one. Jean-Francis Richeux is convinced that we will have to show solidarity in the future. “Nothing will be done without the notion of sharing water between municipalities, agglomerations, but also the agricultural, industrial, or tourist world.”