Water resources

The Lez spring, the region's main water resource, as well as 3 other catchments are under increased surveillance. Specialized teams work tirelessly to protect these sensitive areas from pollution and continuously monitor groundwater levels.

To reinforce these efforts, targeted actions are being implemented on priority catchment areas. These initiatives aim to promote environmentally-friendly agricultural and industrial practices, raise public awareness of the need to preserve this vital resource, and set up enhanced monitoring systems.

The Metropole has set itself 6 ambitious objectives to guarantee the quality and sustainability of water on its territory:

1. Securing the drinking water supply: by preserving the quantity and quality of water, the Metropole ensures a stable and sustainable supply for residents.
2. Protect natural resources: actions are implemented to limit the impact of human activities on aquatic environments.
3. Fight against pesticides: the Metropole is committed to reducing the use of pesticides and promoting more environmentally-friendly agricultural practices.
4. Continuously monitoring water quality: thanks to regular monitoring, the Metropole can quickly detect any deterioration and take the necessary measures.
5. Achieving balance between water needs and available resources: the Metropole works to optimize water management to meet needs while preserving ecosystems.
6. Accompanying farmers towards more sustainable practices: the Metropole supports initiatives aimed at fostering agro-ecological transition.

To achieve these objectives, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole relies on a network of varied partners: researchers, associations, neighboring communities.... These collaborations enable knowledge to be shared, new solutions to be developed and more effective action to be taken.

• Research and innovation: the Metropole collaborates with renowned institutions such as Montpellier SupAgro (Water & Agriculture Chair), INRAE (Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'alimentation et l'Environnement). Hydrogeological monitoring is carried out in conjunction with the HydroSciences research laboratory at the University of Montpellier, and with BRGM, the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (Geological and Mining Research Bureau), a leading public establishment.
• Stakeholder networks: she takes part in the actions of the INPACT network (Initiatives pour une Agriculture Citoyenne et Territoriale) and the FILEG association, which structures the legume industry in Occitanie.
• Agroecological transition: thanks to partnerships with CIVAMs (Centre d'initiatives pour valoriser l'agriculture et le milieu rural) in connection with the Métropole's Politique Agroécologique et Alimentaire.
• Membership in the "Territoires Bio Pilotes" network of the Fédération Nationale d'Agriculture Biologique.

The Metropole is developing a comprehensive and ambitious strategy for the balanced management of water resources. Its action with farmers takes various forms:

• Accompanying the development of organic farming and the development of Low Impact Production Lines (FIBANI project), economical in inputs (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers...) and water, promoting climate and food resilience on the scale of the Metropolis and neighboring territories ;
• Promote agroecological practices, support their dissemination, create agroecological frames of reference such as, for example, training in alternative weeding techniques, support for the introduction of plant cover, an experimental project to compost green waste on plots of land, and the planting of hedges, riparian forests and herbaceous strips with the BiodiVigne project,
• helping farmers to cope with climate change and preserve water resources through changes in soil management and rational irrigation. The Metropole is also drawing up a new raw water supply scheme to secure and diversify access to this water and support the territory's agro-ecological transition as part of a sustainable and economical management of water resources.

It is taking part in the deployment of Agripredict, an extreme event warning service.

• FIBANI project: the Metropole helps farmers wishing to diversify into crops such as pulses or so-called hardy cereals, with low environmental impact, in collaboration with the Water Agency.
• BiodiVigne project : the Metropole supports winegrowers wishing to plant field hedges on their land, which play an essential role in the landscape. They enhance biodiversity, provide refuge for numerous species, protect against climatic hazards, improve soil quality and beautify the vineyard.
• The development of secure collective filling and rinsing areas for agricultural sprayers. These areas allow both the recovery and treatment of pesticide-laden rinse water and the filling of sprayer tanks in accordance with current standards, thus avoiding any product overflow. Métropole is the contracting authority for three projects (located in Montaud, Pignan and Cournonterral) and supported the project led by the commune of Saint-Georges-d'Orques.
• Technical and financial support for farmers located in water catchment areas. Putting together dossiers to mobilize European or national aid to directly finance changes in the practices of volunteer farmers; offering technical training; taking part in and publicizing awareness-raising events; creating a collective dynamic around key issues, such as controlled grassing in vineyards... All these actions are carried out by the Métropole's territorial coordination teams to better protect our region's water resources.

Aware of the stakes involved in pesticide pollution of soil and water, the Metropole provides communes with a decision-making tool: the PAPPH (Plans d'Amélioration des Pratiques Phytosanitaires et Horticoles).

These plans, drawn up by specialist consultancies, enable a precise diagnosis to be made of the practices in force in each territory, and to propose suitable solutions for gradually reducing the use of pesticides.

The PAPPHs have several objectives:

• Sustainably eliminate the use of pesticides in public spaces: by promoting alternative methods such as mechanical or thermal weeding, or by favoring plant species adapted to local conditions.
• Reduce the volume of water used for watering : by optimizing watering systems, choosing less water-hungry plants and raising awareness of water-saving among residents.
• Train and raise awareness among local players: by offering training to territorial agents and setting up awareness-raising actions for the general public.

The Metropole doesn't limit itself to green spaces. It is also interested in the impact of phytosanitary products used in business and industrial zones.

Water sampling and analysis are regularly carried out to assess groundwater quality and detect possible contamination in safeguard zones, close to water catchments.

Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole is in charge of the public service for raw water, i.e. non-drinking water. It comes from the Bas Rhône canal and is conveyed via the Metropole's networks or the networks of BRL, the operator of the large Hydraulic network owned by the Occitanie Region.

Raw water has many potential uses:

• irrigation of farmland
• watering of gardens and green spaces
• washing of roads
• industrial water
• fire defense
• support of low-water flows in rivers
• research & development projects

The Metropole is banking on raw water to secure the future of local agriculture. A new master plan will extend its use and strengthen the resilience of production in the face of climate change. The objectives of this investment program are to strengthen and extend hydraulic networks and reuse treated wastewater.

Do you have a borehole? Don't forget to declare it!