The equivalent of one month of rain fell in 24 hours. Thursday, Brittany was particularly watered during the passage of a major disturbance. A fleet day like the Breton winter: gray and particularly wet. This is excellent news for the region's water reserves, which were particularly stressed during the very hot summer of 2019. Although Brittany is not one of the regions threatened by drought, it is not immune to it. 'depletion of its water resources. Here's why.
In France there are two types of groundwater. Those that the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research describes as "inertial" take a long time to fill up but are more resistant to the effect of a scorching summer. And those that the BRGM calls “reactive layers”, which fill more quickly but are much more sensitive to drought. It is this type of groundwater that is found in Brittany, a region where the nature of the soils is mainly granitic or shale. This autumn and this winter, during the period known as of “effective rains” which goes from October to April, Brittany was copiously watered and the tablecloths were able to recharge. At the dawn of a summer that Météo-France announces "hot and dry", "the levels are satisfactory, even surplus," according to the latest BRGM report.
Brittany should not, however, flambé over watering. The nature of its soils makes it a region very sensitive to long dry periods. During the fall and winter, "the vegetation is dormant and the precipitation comes to recharge the underground reserves", explains Violaine Bault, hydrogeologist at the BRGM. But in summer, it is the vegetation that captures most of the rain. In Brittany, the aquifers "can be recharged during heavy rainstorms". Conversely, they can also be emptied much faster than so-called “inertial” layers.
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