MAN AND WATER IN GIRONDE Scientific knowledge has its limits.

The blue gold rush In the course of time, rivers, springs and the occasional well provided sufficient water for the inhabitants of th Gironde, up until the end of the 19 century. In Roman times, Burdigala had ample water resources, with springs inside the city-walls, streams and an th aqueduct. From the 12 century onwards, however, the rise in population and the increase of human activity which in turn increased pollution, meant that Bordeaux was no longer able to use its ground water and had to fetch its water further and further away from the city and bring it in via a system of aqueducts.

The engineers step in th

It wasn‟t until the end of the 19 century that technical advances enabled the engineers to draw water by pumping it up from deep underground waters. This water is plentiful and available everywhere and it can be used for drinking, for industrial purposes and for farming.

Fortunately, from 1950, the increase in boring was scrupulously supervised by water-scientists. This enabled them to come to the conclusion quite quickly that these deep bore-holes and the deep underground waters operated by the SAGE were naturally protected, except in those areas where they were directly fed by surface water infiltration. In the long run, the quality of the water deep down, depends directly on the water pressure. When there is less pressure, the stocks are more exposed to pollution since water of lesser quality can seep into the void. What‟s more, the less pressure there is, the higher the risk of this happening will be. Indeed pressure is steadily decreasing under the influence of the never-ending increase in pumping, over the last hundred years. That’s why we have to face up to the truth which is that there is insufficient water to replenish the amounts pumped up from the deep underground waters.

The Girondins decide to organize a convention on water resources The people of Gironde realize that they would be the first to suffer if they did not take immediate action. That‟s why the Commission Locale de l‟Eau (CLE) was created in 1999. It‟s a sort of local parliament, which gathers together representatives of local government, of central government and of users. It took the CLE three years of intense collaborative work, to come up with the SAGE, which is a stewardship scheme for the deep underground waters of Gironde.

HREE YEARS OF LEARNING, COLLABORATION AND EXPERTISE TO FINALIZE THE DOCUMENTS WHICH ARE THE BASIS OF THE SAGE:

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The inventory ( May 2000) The diagnosis ( October 2000) Various scenarios (February 01) The strategy (December 01) Stewardship decisions ( July 02 and July 03) In 02 and 03, we consulted local government, consular bodies, the relevant public services and the Comité de basin and allowed the public to add their opinion. All this, enabled us to ensure the pertinence of the steps about to be taken and to decide on top priorities, beginning with taking measures to save water and curb usage thereof. The SAGE‟s first document called Stewardship, contains 72 measures, organized into 9 chapters:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

WHAT THE SAGE INTENDS TO DO HOW IT IS ORGANIZED ON THE GROUND STEWARDSHIP OF QUANTITIES PUMPED STEWARDSHIP OF PUMPING AND WORKS WATER SAVING AND CONSUMPTION

6. 7. 8. 9.

MANAGEMENT SUBSTITUTE RESOURCES QUALITY OF UNDERGROUND WATER FINANCIAL SUPPORT MEASURES HOW THE SAGE WILL WORK, EVALUATE AND UPDATE

“The Guide to the stewardship of deep underground waters by the SAGE”, will help you to read the SAGE‟s main document, which is a separate document. The 64-page official document, as well as the all the steps which make up the SAGE, can be visited on the following website: www.smegreg.org or in any town hall in Gironde.

A mandatory reference:

1/ The implications of the SAGE The SAGE has come into being, since its approval by the Prefet de Gironde on 25th November, 2003: The SAGE shapes and guides all decisions made by the administrative bodies which must refer to its guidelines for any decisions concerning water. It is thus a mandatory reference for the territory involved, which is the district of Gironde; The SAGE “deep underground waters” lays out complex technical knowhow which should be analyzed according to various time and space scales. It is thus a learning tool too. It aims to increase scientific knowledge in order to allow the CLE to improve its stewardship; The SAGE‟s indicators allow us to assess the efficiency of our new stewardship policy, to make it better, to make the public aware of the preciousness of the water they use and finally to promote caution in our long-term use of water.

Stewardship according to scale

2/ Organization on the ground Measure 2-1 Geographical zones, aquifers and stewardship units. …. The SAGE determines Stewardship Units by crossing the geological stratum with the geographical zones, laid out by the SAGE. These Stewardship Units are called by the usual name of the geological stratum containing the aquifer and of the geographical zone, for example: The Central Eocene. > The underground waters concerned by the SAGE provide half of the 300 million cubic metres pumped per year to satisfy demands in Gironde. They provide 98% of our drinking water. > These water-tables find themselves in geological strata, which are, from top to bottom, the Miocene, the Oligocene, the Eocene and the Cretaceous period. > Although some of the water-tables cover the whole of the Gironde district, we have split them into 5 main zones, for the purposes of stewardship. > In any given place, exchanges between these watertables will depend on the water pressure in each of them and that‟s why separate vertical stewardship is impossible.

The SAGE determines subsets, which are called Stewardship Units and which cross vertical and horizontal dimensions. It defines a specific strategy for each unit.

The good condition of water resources, a collective stake and a target of SAGE

Measure M 3-1 Target of quantitative management The aim of such management is to reach and maintain a condition of underground expanses of water allowing the normal coexistence of uses and the good quantitative and qualitative workings of underground resources and of the streams they supply. This target matches „the good condition‟ defined by the European directive.

3/ Stewardship of quantities pumped Built around 12 measures, quantitative management is based on a few findings, the first one being the inadequacy between the geographical distribution of consumption and that of resources. Too much is taken from some expanses in some places, while resources are still available in other expanses or places. Sage (deep expanses section) prevents quantitative and qualitative risks ( saline intrusion, drainage of aquifer, mineralized area) by imposing :  within the district, results that respect the balance between consumption and available resources. Sage sets removable volumes compatible with the sustainable management of resources. This target imposes reductions of consumption in some units of management that are in deficit, a stabilization of consumption in balanced units and allows to consider an increase in the others.  Locally, the preservation of mineral pressures in endangered areas, a better respect of the most vulnerable areas and a rigorous monitoring of the quality of waters. SAGE imposes strict constraints on piezometric levels (water pressure) in the most endangered areas. If there is an alert, temporary restrictions will be necessary in these areas.

The legal frame

4/ Stewardship of pumping and works Measure M 4-9 Revision of existing authorizations For all the existing authorizations of consumption, an adjustment of maximal authorized values is made by the state according to actual volumes of consumption.

SAGE relies on general regulations that they can complete if necessary. This aspect of SAGE consists of 16 administrative measures that aim at making state services take into account its targets in the different steps of administrative instruction of projects of drilling or consumption. New obligations and a strict monitoring of authorizations are now compulsory in the whole area.

A new behavior for the sake of everyone

5/ Water savings and control of consumption Measure M 5-1 Priority to water savings The implementation of all actions aiming at saving water and controlling consumptions is the first priority of SAGE. Trying to save water is the condition of the implementation of any substitution of resources that benefit from economic accompanying measures led by SAGE. The control of water consumptions, or control of demand, that is a priority for SAGE, aims at giving the water management system greater efficiency for consumers, with equivalent services.

Water savings are the result of the implementation of this control. They allow a reduction of takings from deep expanses and less appeal to substitution resources.

SAGE aims at saving more than 15 million cubic meters a year as of 2013.

SAGE defines priorities in uses but the study of our consumptions shows a better management of clean water is definitely the heart of the action of SAGE.

SAGE implements 15 measures to reach this essential target for management, in particular a counting extended to all water consumers, a control of the achievements of public networks, of rehabilitation works, a policy of active communication targeted at citizens and professionals, and financial incentives to save water.

Obviously, training, consciousness raising and pedagogy will be the best guarantees of the efficiency of SAGE in the long run.

When economy rhymes with economy Average consumption and expenditures of a family of 4 in housing

Technology to back up individual and collective effort

6/ Substitute resources The diversification of resources, also called substitution is a main target of SAGE, that has 9 specific measures. These substitutions will add up to the effort of reduction and control of a consumption of about 15 million cubic meters a year. Obviously, whenever possible, industrial and agricultural uses or watering of parks will be transferred onto substitution resources.

Measure M 6-1 Strategic aspect of substitutions The research for the identification and implementation of substitution resources has a strategic interest. For its economic development Gironde cannot accept principles of shortage, but tries to find a balance between takings and the renewal of resources. Water savings and the control of consumption will not be enough to reach the target of reduction of takings from expanses that are in deficit.

From the recovery of rain water to water gardens to the treatment of the water of Garonne to provide for the needs of the industries of Ambes peninsula (solution implemented by Bordeaux‟s conurbation (CUB) in 2003) substitution technologies vary widely. Substitution can also exist within a same expanse of water by sharing the different takings so as to spare the most overexploited areas and use those that are not in deficit. Finally, the recycling of water after 1st use will be explored, beginning with geothermal science.

Protecting to guarantee our uses

7/ The quality of underground water Measure M 7-1 The network of qualitative control CLE sets up a network of qualitative control points aimed at watching waters within one year after agreement by SAGE.

Measure M 7-3 Map of vulnerability SAGE recommends a quick setting up of the cartography of the risks of pollution of the expanses of SAGE, outlining the vulnerability of thee potential sources of pollution and bringing together the uses of water in zones that are at risk. These maps, made using the proper scale, will be widely circulated to develop an awareness of the link between human activity at the surface of the earth and the good qualitative condition of underground water.

Public power for shared effort

8/ Economic accompanying measures Measure M 8-2 Sharing the costs generated by SAGE In the spirit of article L211-7 of the code of the environment, a SAGE tax aims at sharing between all the beneficiaries, that is to say all those who share the same resources: the operating costs of implementation of SAGE the running costs generated by resorting to substitution resources the investment costs or extra running costs of operations aimed at saving water the costs of any other operation required by CLE

In 7 measures, SAGE organizes financial solidarity between those who make efforts and reduce their consumption and those who benefit and can continue to have the same consumption. There is a charge on consumption, dependent on the state of the resource (deficit or not). The proceeds of these taxes can allocate grants for water saving and to offset the running costs of access to water generated by resorting to substitution resources

The local water commission, a regulating system

9/ The implementation of SAGE Measure M 9-1 The life of CLE CLE follows up the work of SAGE regularly evaluates the measures they set up and if necessary corrects the targets and deadlines to reach them, and in some cases also redefines the measures to be implemented.

While SAGE defines the general rules of management, the actions to be taken are very local. The changing of scale, the innovative aspect of the approach and the improvement of knowledge will require a dynamic monitoring of SAGE that will rely on indicators and selective studies or assessments.

Administrative office General Council of Gironde

In addition to this monitoring, CLE will advise and accompany projects likely to have an impact on deep expanses as quickly as possible. It will be helped in this task by secretaries, a group of hydro geologists and appropriate working parties. Finally, after setting up the rules of management, CLE will have to see that they are respected. Also meant to arbitrate, it will support the government to implement these rules harmoniously, thus truly playing its role as a regulating system.

Local water commission 24 members

Technical office SMEGREG In charge of secretarial work of Bureau working parties and experts

Secretarial work of CLE and Bureau

Bureau 8 members

Expert Group Hydro geologists Give advice when asked to by CLE

Translation by K.Courrege and L.Morel