The level of groundwater in mainland France “remains generally satisfactory”, but deteriorated “slightly” in January, underlines Tuesday February 13, the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM), the public body responsible for their monitoring, in its monthly newsletter. “Only the aquifers of Languedoc, Roussillon and Corsica will maintain lower levels in January 2024 than in January 2023,” he notes.
As of February 1, 46% of water tables are above seasonal norms, and 15% above comparable levels. This situation is “more favorable” than in 2023 on the same date, “where 60% of levels were below normal”. If “the significant recharge that occurred between the end of October and December had a notable effect on the aquifers” which were for the most part very dry at the end of last summer, the organization emphasizes that “in January, the intensity of groundwater recharge” decreased compared to December.
“Low to very low levels” are noted on “the inertial layers of Sundgau”, in the south of Alsace, “and the Saône corridor” as well as “on those of the south-southeast and Corsica”. . In particular, “the levels remain very worrying on the limestone layers of the Corbières massif and the Roussillon plain” in the Pyrénées-Orientales, warns the BRGM.
This warning comes after a year marked by a historic drought in Pyrénées-Orientales, a department with significant agricultural and tourist activity which has suffered numerous restrictions on water use.
On the Mediterranean rim and Corsica, “the cumulative rainfall in recent weeks has not been able to stop the downward trend,” notes the BRGM. In these regions in January, “small flood peaks may have temporarily interrupted drainage, but they had little impact on monthly trends.”
As always, developments will depend on the level of rain before spring and the resumption of vegetation, which significantly reduces groundwater recharge.
