In this corner of France, a gesture as banal as flushing the toilet could soon pose a problem for thousands of residents. For what ?
In this place in France adored by vacationers, a gesture as banal as flushing the toilet could be complicated to carry out in the future. A scenario which seems improbable but which is nevertheless taken very seriously, in particular because of climate change.
Between the fine sandy beaches and the ocean, this idyllic corner faces problems that could disrupt the daily lives of residents. On certain French coasts, the sea is gradually advancing due to more frequent storms and rising water levels. So, the beaches recede and the dunes become damaged. This phenomenon, called coastal erosion, can have very concrete and disturbing consequences for residents. Roads, homes and public infrastructure are at risk. This poses a particular problem for wastewater treatment systems.
In some places, the facilities that treat wastewater are located near the sea. Concretely, if salt water reached them or if the dune that protects them were damaged, this could disrupt their operation. Wastewater would therefore be more difficult to treat properly. In other words, without a quick solution, daily life could be disrupted. “There is an urgent need to act, otherwise no one will be able to flush the toilet“, alerted a local in The New Republic.
In this territory of France, the sea is gaining ground faster than expected and some sanitation facilities, which are close to its dream beaches, are already starting to come under pressure. To save time, emergency work was launched. Giant nets filled with stones, gabions, were installed to protect the dune. But where is this place where residents might no longer be able to flush their toilets in the long term? This is the island of Oléron, in Charente-Maritime, located not far from the famous Fort Boyard.
Although the work to install this gabion net rampart is still in progress, this protection remains provisional. Within a few years, the goal is to redirect the treated water to another system at sea.”This has been our intention for twenty years but the investments are pharaonic“, concluded the president of Eau 17.
