The water catchment point of Werentzhouse (Haut-Rhin), a town of 600 inhabitants, was closed in 2005 due to pollution from agricultural products, in particular by nitrates and by a herbicide, atrazine. Almost 20 years later, it was finally able to reopen on Friday November 8, 2024, reports France 3 Grand Est .
A great victory for this village which is located in Sundgau, a territory hit by drought. “When it rains, we have water and when it doesn’t rain, we don’t have water”summarizes Gilles Frémiot, president of the Sundgau community of communes. Since the contamination in 2005, Werentzhouse has depended on the water supply from Durmenach and Saint-Louis.
100 m3 of water per day
To resolve the situation, everyone had to adapt. The use of atrazine, which was the molecule most used by farmers at the time, was reduced by optimizing spraying and organizing crop rotation. Responsible for water management, the community of municipalities had a 200-meter sealed ditch built to limit pollution, reports France Blue Alsace .
These initiatives finally allowed the reopening of this catchment point and residents now have 100 m3 of water per day. At the same time, work continues in the hope of being able to reopen by 2030 the two other water catchment points still closed in Sundgau, Illtal and Steinsoultz.
France
