Faced with climate change, the Gard, a Mediterranean department on the front line, is seeking to adapt. Particularly in terms of water resources. Gaëtan Prévoteau, mayor of Langlade, wants to store “unconventional” water in order to irrigate crops and limit the risk of flooding. Several elected officials from the Vaunage plain, including Gaëtan Prévoteau, but also the mayors of Caveirac, Clarensac, Saint-Dionisy and Saint-Côme-et-Maruéjols, member municipalities of Nîmes Métropole, are studying the possibility of creating a lake of at least twenty hectares. This lake would be “multi-use”, confided to the Echos Gaëtan Prévoteau in March 2023.
Since then, the project has been moving forward. “The study conducted by the DV2E design office established that the main locally available resource to supply the body of water would be the discharges from the future wastewater treatment plant. It also defined the most suitable location, located near the future plant, far from the area served by the BRL company and on uncultivated plots. Finally, it established the principle of juxtaposing several basins, some contributing to the final treatment of wastewater, others being supplied by treated water compatible with irrigation,” explains Thierry Vautier, deputy director of water cycles at Nîmes Métropole, at Echos.
Firefighting and irrigation
This lake would have several sources of supply. “First, the discharges from the treatment plant,” explains Gaëtan Prévoteau to Objective Gard. Rainwater will also be stored there “to prevent the municipalities of Bernis and Milhaud from being flooded”. The future body of water would be filled with water all the time. In the summer, its level would drop to its lowest level, with the water being used to meet irrigation needs and to fight fires. A minimum level would be guaranteed for the preservation of aquatic species.
“We are launching an operational study. This has several objectives: technical solution, dimensional characteristics of the different basins, definition of the exact need for irrigation water, regulatory point at the level of safety, hygiene and the environment, identification of constraints, costing and planning of the works”, lists Thierry Vautier. The rendering of this second study is expected at the end of the year.
