After a winter marked by a historic drought, an extremely low water level, and a summer that promises to be arid, water management raises questions. So what about residential pools? In a dozen French departments, prefectural decrees are already in effect to prohibit the filling of swimming pools. However, as Le Figaro points out, the “water plan” presented Thursday by Emmanuel Macron does not directly attack these basins.
Only a progressive price for water could concern individuals: the filling of swimming pools “is part of the elements of progressive pricing put in place”, confirms the Elysée to the daily, “so that those who have a swimming pool contribute more to the water bill”. For good reason: prefecture alerts already plan to prohibit filling at certain alert levels. However, some mayors are taking the lead: in Elne (Pyrénées-Orientales), the city councilor has suspended the construction of new swimming pools in his municipality. The city of Gérardmer is also considering this solution. Nine municipalities in the Var have gone further, and have frozen applications for the construction of swimming pools for the next four years. Same thing in Ardèche, for twenty-two municipalities, and for an indefinite period.
“If one is reasonable, the issue of swimming pools is primarily symbolic and should not have to be considered in the debate on water resources. If we look at the water consumption of the 3.2 million private swimming pools each year in France, we are between 35 and 45 million m3. Leaks in drinking water networks represent a billion m3. We have to put things in perspective,” warns hydrologist Éric Servat.
The Federation of Swimming Pool Professionals (FPP) also recalls that banning the construction of swimming pools means attacking a professional sector representing “nearly 3,650 companies and 60,000 direct and indirect jobs”.
The hydrologist points out: “If we want to make people adhere to lifestyles that will necessarily have to evolve, we cannot constantly tell them that they are the bad students. »
