Wilfried Devillers / Photo credits: OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP 9:56 a.m., March 22, 2024

According to a study by the Intercommunalités de France association, one liter in five of water is lost due to leaks on the network. Among the municipalities which lose the most water, that of Saulnières, in Eure-et-Loir, where 7 liters of water out of 10 are lost due to leaks. Europe 1 went there on this World Water Day.

In France, one liter of water in five is lost due to leaks on the network, and the losses are even greater in 198 communities which have a leak rate of more than 50% on their network. This is the result of a study by the Intercommunalités de France association published at the beginning of the week.

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In the commune of Saulnières, attached to the agglomeration of Pays de Dreux, nearly 7 out of 10 liters of water are lost due to significant leaks. This is one of the lowest yields of drinking water in France. In this small town of Eure-et-Loir, the network of pipes dates from the 1930s. Gray cast iron pipes have become particularly fragile over time. 

“The slightest vibration on the roads or a movement of the ground can shift the network,” explains Amandine Pontieux, director of water cycles for the agglomeration of the Pays de Dreux. “We observe dislocations or micro-breaks which generate water losses on the network.”

“50 million euros” renovation cost for the city

Christian Albert, the mayor of Saulnières, assures that he has been trying to identify these leaks for years but nothing works. “It bothers me a lot, we looked for leaks two years ago, but our drinking water yield is not improving.”

One solution: the complete renovation of the drinking water network, a responsibility of the urban area. “We have to rebuild the network at home, and they cannot do it alone,” explains President Gérard Sourrisseau. "Dozens of kilometers to redo, that would mean that their water price would rise to around 10 euros/m3. It's intolerable. We will have to devote 50 million euros, for water, for 'agglomeration of the country of Dreux.'

Costs borne by all the municipalities in the conurbation and various subsidies. In Saulnières, the first work should begin in the coming months.