The floods of October 17 left exceptional quantities of wood, but also waste, on the banks of swollen rivers, mainly the Loire and the Lignon. Jams that must be cleaned and cleared when they are in the way or present a danger. But the latter also have a role – like floods – on the ecosystem and the rivers.
With each flood, the same scenario repeats itself. The following days, the rivers offer a spectacle of desolation. After the Cévennes episode which affected Haute-Loire and Ardèche on October 17, the findings were impressive on the banks of the Loire and Lignon, the two rivers mainly affected by the flood, just like several rivers in Tence and Chambon-sur-Lignon. Enormous quantities of wood were swept away, entire trees uprooted by the hundreds. And everything was deposited here and there, sometimes in big piles: these are what we call ice jams.The waste accumulated along the banks during the flood is clearly visible during this winter period, sometimes thanks to plastic materials in bright colors. But what will happen in spring, when the vegetation will start again, when the leaves of the trees and the grass will grow abundantly? “Hence the need to act quickly, in the coming months, as long as they are perfectly visible and accessible” insists Philippe Cochet. Photo Lionel Ciochetto
