Two Yssingelais unions have completed an interconnection to guarantee the supply of drinking water to several municipalities. Explanations.
However, precious water is not the best shared good. But this should change given the climatic situation. The particularly wet year 2024 has not slowed down the projects, if we are to believe Jean-Pierre Morvan, director of the Allier Loire upstream delegation of the Loire Bretagne Water Agency.
The water union of the Tence region and that of Montregard (Dunières, Montfaucon, Raucoules, Lapte and Grazac) have just completed a major project to ensure the security of the drinking water supply to several municipalities in case of drought. These are Tence, Chenereilles, Le Mas-de-Tence, as well as part of the localities of Montregard, Mazet-Saint-Voy and Saint-André-en-Vivarais, in Ardèche.
Thursday, elected officials, representatives of the companies that participated in the construction of the Collange reservoir (Montregard) and Fabrice Bonicel, sub-prefect of the Yssingeaux district, inaugurated the structures which should ensure this security for the 2,700 subscribers of the localities which are until now supplied by two streams from Mas-de-Tence: the Crouzet and the Chaudier. The two rivers in question reached a critical level in 2003. “We were at the limit of withdrawal authorizations,” admits Olivier Broussard, president of the Tençois union.
The reservoir is located at the exit of Montfaucon, along the road to Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid. A little more than 2 million euros were needed for its construction and that of a pipeline. The Water Agency made the biggest contribution. The State under the DETR and the department also participated, making a total of almost 77% of subsidies. “Since the drought of 2003, we had an obligation to find a solution to diversify our drinking water resources,” says Olivier Broussard, president of the Tençois union. Of the different scenarios studied, the interconnection with the Montregard water union appeared the most relevant, especially since it has in addition to around twenty catchments, a connection with the immense Lavalette dam. reservoir of 55 million cubic meters.
The project between the two unions, “which should set a precedent”, believes Senator Olivier Cigolotti who participated in the inauguration, was validated in 2022, for the creation of the 800 m³ head tank. A water purchase agreement was signed at the end of 2022. Work began in 2023.
A pipeline of almost 10 km was created between the Hostes treatment station (Le Mas-de-Tence) and that of Collange (Montregard). The construction of the reservoir itself was completed in October this year. Bernard Souvignet agrees: “The idea of providing water to Tence was not immediately accepted. » The mayor of Raucoules and president of the Montregard union now wants this water to be purchased regularly by the Tence union (the latter is committed to this) because we must now think carefully about depreciating the structure. Water which is billed at 77 cents when leaving the station, at the same price as for municipalities belonging to the Montregard union. For residents, the supplier doesn't matter. Isn't the important thing above all to avoid supply disruptions?
Philippe Suc
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