In France, the 2006 law on water and aquatic environments (LEMA) highlights the threat of real and lasting pressure on water resources. In particular, it introduced a framework designed to establish balanced collective management of water resources on a regional scale by defining "volumes that can be abstracted", while at the same time programming a long-term reduction in authorised abstractions in order to restore the balance between resources and needs. However, during low-water periods, the quantity of water available is not always sufficient to meet needs, particularly in terms of irrigation. One of the solutions put forward to remedy this problem is to develop the construction of reservoirs, filled outside the low-water period, to store water for use in crisis situations.
Opinions differ on the merits of this solution. For some, it would make it possible to "make better use of the surplus water in rainy seasons", while for others "this simplistic option is particularly unsuitable for agriculture, the region and its citizens, and is harmful to the entire water cycle".
To make progress on this issue, it seems important to
The information obtained from these questions should help to highlight the types of abstraction to be avoided, in order to minimise their ecological impact.
The aim of this project is not to define the maximum flow that can be abstracted during high-water periods, but to produce an initial approach and general recommendations to be considered during an assessment which aims to answer the following questions: How much water can reasonably be extracted from a river without unduly disrupting ecological processes, and at what moment in time?
Project partner(s)
Project leader - team
Franck Cattaneo
(HEPIA),
Clarisse Judes (HEPIA)