« Four reserves, including Sainte-Soline, are illegal. » The statement does not come from opponents of megabasins, but from the administrative court of appeal of Bordeaux, in a decision rendered on December 18.
These are the four megabasins closest to the special protection zone of the Plaine de La Mothe-Saint-Héray-Lezay — including that of Sainte-Soline. They are likely to harm the preservation of a bird, the little bustard, a « endangered species made particularly vulnerable by the degradation of its habitat since the 1970s »specify the judges.
In March 2023, nearly 20,000 people demonstrated in Sainte-Soline, in Deux-Sèvres, against these water reservoirs accused of only benefiting a handful of agro-industrialists. Several people were seriously injured by the police.
A protected species exemption is necessary
To be legal, these four replacement reserves must therefore obtain a protected species exemption, which they do not currently have. The authorization for these four reserves is suspended pending their regularization.
On the other hand, the court of appeal considered that for the sixteen other contested reservations, « the project does not disregard the principle of balanced and sustainable water management »and the authorization therefore remains valid.
The judgment also specifies that the water already stored in the Sainte-Soline megabasin, which is therefore part of the now illegal works, can however be used by farmers, « this use must be carried out without additional work or transport and without giving rise to a new filling of the reserve ».
legend
