The rains which have continued to fall on France in recent weeks have tended to undermine the morale of certain French people. However, they at least have the merit of improving “considerably” recharge of groundwater. Indeed, Thursday December 14, 2023 in a statementthe Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM) has drawn up an assessment of the situation as of December 1st. Experts explained that only 41% of water tables were still below normal, compared to 65% a month earlier. “The big downside is around the Mediterranean, where the level remains very low. There has been very little precipitation, apart from this weekend in Provence”nevertheless alerted Christophe Person, head of the weather and climate service of BFMTV. But in addition to the water tables located in Languedoc and Roussillon, those of the Limagne plain, the Rhône-Saône corridor, southern Alsace and the Paris Basin and Corsica have not reached satisfactory levels either.
No question of declaring victory too quickly
On the other hand, the public body responsible for monitoring metropolitan water tables noted that in just one month, there had been a “brutal reversal of trends”. “It’s been almost three years since we had such a favorable situation”, underlined Violaine Bault, hydrogeologist at BRGM. If groundwater levels are more reassuring, there is no question of declaring victory too quickly. “We are certainly very satisfied that the start of the aquifer recharge period is in excess over a large part of the territory, but it should continue to rain to guarantee good levels for next year”, added Violaine Bault. In some water tables still below normal, concern is warranted. It is mainly for those located in Roussillon, since they are already very degraded. If they don’t recharge before spring arrives, it could just be tragic. Water restrictions could then be put in place once again and intervene much earlier than in other years.