A rare Resource and
Increasing Pollution

Over the last ten years, domestic water consumption has been increasing steadily at the same time there has been a hign demand from within the agricultural sector: irrigated areas have practically doubled over the last decade. Unfortunately, this demand has not been offset by the relative stability of industrial cosumption. Consequently, the Water Resources Deparment is developming a policy of incresing user awareness, among households, industries, farmers or fishermen: water, a rare resource whose economic value cannot now be circumvented, must be protected and used in moderation. Surely enough, companies that are taxed on the “polluter-pys” principle have invested in wastewater treatment facilities with the financial and logistical assistance of the water agencies, but efforts still need to be made in connection with industrial, organic and toxic pollution and urban sanitation systems. The originality of the water policy is its ability to ensure that such efforts are made in collaboration with all the actors involved.

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Dialogue at the Local Level

This was made mandatory by the Law of january 3, 1992, which gave local authorities new powers and responsabilities, in particular with the upkeep and restoration of watercourses and sanitation. It also established the Master Water Development and management Plans (“SAGE”), a planiing tool for water use at the watersheld level. This is an excellent way of involving local authorities, companies, government departments and environmental groups in the drafting of a joint project for water resources and watercourses.
Also in this framework, the water agencies, rather than just playing a purely financial role, are showing a tendency to make suggestions and initiative, and all major past actors are now sharing the same objective.

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Balanced Aquatic Ecosystems

Apart from its policiy of dialogue on water management the Water Resources Department has also designed a policy to protect the balance of the aquatic ecosystems. Using its sovereign state powers, the Ministry regulates fishing in order to preserve the national fishing assets and the proper biological balance of the watercourses. Under the “SDAGE”, it also consults with regional authorities and, together with the “CSP”, with the fishing community and local authorities.

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Flood Control

As a rare natural resource, water must be managed. But as a product f nature, some of its manifestations need to be guarded against in order to avoid disasters. The water Resources Department is resonsible for flood control and has conducted several actions in this area. Some involove the preparation of maps of flood-prone areas with a view to limiting urban sprawl in the areas most at risk and implementing preventive measures needed to maintain the capacity of natural flood plains. Others involve the updating of national flood monitoring and warning systems ant the use, on a regional basis, of Météo-France radar equipment.
A thrid and crucial area of focus concerns the implementation of a ten-year plan to restore and maintain French Watercourses.
The first plan to be carried out, the “Loire Full-Scale Plan”, which involves all the users of the Loire water, including measures designed to restore the natural run-off and flood expansion capacity of the rivers as well as projects designed to protect the inhabited areas most at risk.

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