EXPRESSO Agglo de Nîmes: why will the price of water increase by 3%?

Today, water and sanitation management is ensured by Nîmes Métropole. This is not the case everywhere… The Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, also announced, in October, the end of the mandatory transfer of water and sanitation capacity for 2026. The legislator still needs to approve.. However, local elected officials did not welcome his statement, such as the Mayor of Sauve, Olivier Gaillard, who, when he was deputy, had proposed a law for this.

With 250,000 inhabitants, the metropolitan area of ​​Nîmes had no other choice but to manage this service. It chose to delegate to a private company, in this case Veolia, to manage its networks. The public service delegation contract, which lasts 8 years, will expire in 2027. On December 16, during the budget vote, community elected officials will vote for a 3% water increase. As a result of this change “ of the change in Water Agency fees… Not our choice! », we comment at the Agglo.

Today, the price of water (including sanitation) is shared between the producer, Nîmes Métropole and the Water Agency. The latter is a public institution that finances works and other activities to conserve water resources. The Group has chosen to review the methods of calculating its fee by introducing performance criteria and the fight against unpaid debts.

This review causes an increase in the portion given to the Group that Nîmes Métropole, with a balanced budget, must recover from users. Every year, Nîmes Métropole sells 14.5 million cubic meters of water and cleans 12 million This 3% increase represents an increase of €14 for an average consumption of 120 m³ per year per residence.