Floods in the Eure. Announcements from the president of Roumois Seine to better manage runoff

It's a habit among Sylvain Bonenfant. Some will consider him combative, others perhaps a bit pretentious. In recent months, the president of the Roumois Seine Community of Communes has continued to present himself as the one who allowed the community to get to work, to recover and find color again. Former presidents will appreciate it.

Heavy rains and floods

On Monday January 13, 2024, Sylvain Bonenfant chose the brand new Clémence-Delavoipière gymnasium in Bourneville-Sainte-Croix (Eure) to present his wishes. From the first words of his speech, he recalled, in a serious tone, that since his election, he and his team had “the sole mission of putting the train back on the rails. »

On his roadmap for 2025, the president of Roumois Seine has set two priorities. The first concerns runoff management. “Since 2017, almost nothing has happened in terms of maintenance of runoff structures,” underlined the president elected in November 2023. After the storms which caused flooding and significant damage on July 31, 2024 in several communes of Roumois (Thuit-de-l'Oison, Thénouville, Boissey-le-Châtel, Saint-Philbert-sur-Boissey or even Saint-Pierre-de-Bosguérard), Sylvain Bonenfant promises that maintenance work will be carried out during the year 2025.

The community of communes will maintain all the works which are its responsibility by December 31.

A geographic information system will also be put in place to list the works which contribute to runoff, “those which are managed by the municipalities, the Department and the farmers”, specifies Sylvain Bonenfant. Before adding that it is “the responsibility of the community of municipalities to ensure coordination and to be the leader. »

The other file which is progressing very slowly is the renovation of the banks of the Seine. The European municipalities concerned are Caumont (more precisely the hamlet of Bas-Caumont between La Bouille and Bardouville), Barneville-sur-Seine and Le Landin. The floods that occurred on April 9, 2024 demonstrate that the banks no longer protect homes. “River law is very complicated. For five years I have been trying to bring together the Departments of Eure and Seine-Maritime, Haropa Port and the joint management union of the Seine Normandy* », reminded the president of Roumois Seine, also mayor of Caumont.

If a few months ago he still criticized Haropa Port for playing the empty chair policy, Sylvain Bonenfant is this time attacking the joint management union of the Normandy Seine. “I cannot understand the role of the joint management union of the Normandy Seine. We have delegated our competence GEMAPI to the union on January 1, 2023. We pay it a subsidy every year. And overall, we are told that we have no right to anything. I don't understand. It is absolutely necessary that the joint union, which we were promised would manage the problems of the banks, from Vernon to Le Havre, on both sides of the bank, assumes its responsibilities. »

The road budget multiplied by four

The other priority for 2025: the roads. Sylvain Bonenfant reaffirmed this. The intercommunity roads are in very poor condition. In 2024, only eight kilometers of roads will have been renovated. Hence this announcement: “In 2025, I will propose to the community council that roads be the first budget item in our budget with runoff. » From 800,000 euros disbursed in 2024, the work program must, according to Sylvain Bonenfant, increase to 3 million euros: “It is a priority. This must be seen. »

* Made up of eight public intercommunal cooperation establishments (EPCI), residents of the Seine and the Departments of Eure and Seine-Maritime, the union is responsible for the management of aquatic environments and flood prevention (GEMAPI ) in the Seine Normandy valley.

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