2023-08-12 11:18:27
There are no longer restrictions on the use of water in Essonne. A stopped taken on August 10* by the prefecture of Essonne lifts the state of drought crisis in the Orge basin and its tributaries. The alert had been triggered in around sixty municipalities three weeks ago. The zone concerned returns to a state of vigilance.
“The measures to restrict and limit uses are replaced by information and awareness raising for the rational and economical use of water”, reads the press release from the prefecture. From now on, users have the right to fill or drain their swimming pool, to water their lawn, or to wash their car, their roof, and their facade.
Activities which, during the last three weeks, were sanctioned. This Thursday, the environmental police were still on the ground to check compliance with the restrictions hitherto in force. “From now on, there are no more obligations, but only incentives to save water,” explains Cyril Pressoir, environmental inspector at the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB). People are encouraged to water late at night and early in the morning. But there are no penalties that go with it. »
The return of the inevitable drought?
In order to determine whether an area should be placed in a state of vigilance, alert, heightened alert or crisis, the prefecture bases itself on the flow of the rivers neighboring the municipalities – that is to say, the amount of water passing through a river at a given time and point. “The lower the flow, the lower the availability of the resource, explains Cyril. And the stronger the negative impact on biodiversity. »
According to the press release from the prefecture, the rains of recent weeks have resulted in a “significant” increase in the flow of rivers in the Essonne department. The flow of the Rémarde, a tributary of the Orge, is again above the crisis threshold, even if it still does not exceed the vigilance threshold. The Essonne Seine, Essonne, Juine, L’École and their tributaries have returned to normal flow. The prefecture has therefore lifted the state of vigilance put in place in these areas – restrictions on the use of water will be taken only if the hydraulic situation justifies it.
But it could happen quickly. For Cyril Pressoir, the environmental police officer, it is only a matter of time. “Today we are back in vigilance because we have the aftermath of the rains of last week, he says. But given that we have an extremely weak rain evolution over the next few weeks, we will surely return to a state of alert and crisis. »
To find out if your municipality is affected by water restrictions, go to https://vigieau.gouv.fr/
*The decree was published on August 11 by the state services.
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