The local public organisation in charge of basin management in Vilaine named “Eaux & Vilaine”, carries out a LIFE REVERS’EAU action on the characterisation and restoration of river basin headwaters. The first technical committee of this action was held on October 24, 2022, in the Villepot municipality.
In order to act on the river basin headwaters, Eaux&Vilaine has identified several necessary prerequisites. First of all, they have carried out an inventory of the watercourses on their territory in 2021 to distinguish the watercourses from the ditches. In the Vilaine Basin, the river basin headwaters represent 70% of the surface. It was thus necessary to prioritise.
The LIFE REVERS’EAU action concerns the Brutz river basin headwater. This watercourse has its source in Villepot municipality in Loire-Atlantique. In this river basin headwater, the level of ambition is important. Indeed, Eaux&Vilaine plans to act on the morphology of the watercourse and on the restoration of the stream banks area in a double objective of the restoration of the aquatic environments and prevention of floods.
This action is innovative for two reasons:
- The integrated approach at the scale of river basin headwater: the objective is to implement everything at this scale to remove the various alterations. The efforts are concentrated on this site to demonstrate the interest and the feasibility of this global and transversal approach with the objective of replicability.
- The involvement of the elected members, residents, and users of the river basin headwater so that they can be a force for proposals and co-construct the project. Eaux&Vilaine is the guarantor of the coherence with the objectives of good status. They will provide a toolbox to remove all the dysfunctions noted on the river basin headwater.
The first technical committee of this action was held on October 24, 2022, in Villepot in the presence of Mr. Philippe Dugravot, Mayor of the Municipality. During this time of exchange, Eaux&Vilaine presented topographic and fauna/flora studies progress as well as the future activities planned (consultation, actions plans with nature-based solutions…). A larger committee will take place at the beginning of 2023 and will gather the French Biodiversity Office, the State services of Loire-Atlantique and Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-Atlantique Department Council, the fishing federation…
