EDF teams have been on the bridge since Thursday morning at the Grangent dam site. “The weather event was announced, our teams quickly mobilized,” announces Yvan Samouillet, site manager. Very quickly, in a few minutes around 4 p.m., the dam went from two valves, to three then four open. “We are, at this time, 900 m3 second which escape from the dam. We are in constant contact with the Loire prefecture, which is responsible for warning the communities downstream of the work,” explains the site manager. It was necessary to relieve the dam given the precipitation.
On the road overlooking the dam, the crowds on high days flock to see the spectacle. The cars are parked well upstream of the dam, all along the structure, up to the parking lot near the EDF staff homes. Most of the people we meet are there to appreciate the spectacle, the force of the elements. “We live in Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert, but we will not be affected by the flooding of the Loire. All this water is impressive, but nothing to do with the flood of 1980. We could feel the trees, the caravans, carried away by the water, banged against the dam, the dam was vibrating,” testify these people from Pontrambert. Further on, this lady comes from Andrézieux-Bouthéon: “I saw the city’s technical services installing barriers near the Loire. They are expecting a flood this Thursday evening. So, I came to look at the dam, it’s impressive. »
An old gentleman grumbles: “And to think that they are annoying us with their drought and global warming! » Impossible to explain to him that these exceptional climatic events are linked to climate change. He shrugs his shoulders and walks away, giving us a contemptuous look.
