The docks have been submerged in recent days, memories of the 2021 floods have also come to the surface in Villefranche-de-Rouergue.
Following heavy rains in recent days, the Aveyron river is in flood. The quays in Villefranche were submerged and the car park was closed due to the risk of flooding. As a reminder in 2021, the town was flooded following rising waters. Residents had been evacuated and relocated to the Robert-Fabre gymnasium while waiting for the flood to stabilize.
11 million euros in damage
The municipality and other communities are also working on the file in the event of other major floods. The Mixed Water Union of the Aveyron Upstream Watershed, which has Gemapi expertise (management of aquatic environments and flood prevention), focused on this objective: to absorb the next hundred-year flood, which would cause major damage in the center -city of Villefranche. According to estimates from a research office, the damage from a 100-year flood would be 11 million euros.
Thus, the project to redesign Place Fontanges aims to absorb the flood. At this level, underground, the watercourse passes through three canals, which forms a hydraulic node, particularly at the level of the Boudoumie arm. The construction of the square on the surface will thus be accompanied by in-depth work to limit the risks of overflow.
