France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, the schéma directeur d'aménagement et de gestion des eaux (SDAGE) aims to put into effect the principles of the law of 3 January 1992 on the level of the major hydrographic

basins Basin may refer to: Geography and geology * Depression (geology) ** Back-arc basin, a submarine feature associated with island arcs and subduction zones ** Debris basin, designed to prevent damage from debris flow ** Drainage basin (hydrology), a ...

. In translation, its name is outline for the organization of the development and management of water resources.

Rationale

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

is a part of the nation's common heritage. Its protection, exploitation and setting into a usable state while respecting natural balances, are of general interest. The use of water belongs to all, within the framework of laws and regulations as well as of rights already established.

The law

The main subjects addressed by the SDAGE are written into the law: * preservation of aquatic ecosystems, their sites and

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

s, * protection against any

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...

and

restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

of the quality of the water, * development and protection of the resource as

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

* exploitation of water as an economic resource and sharing that resource. The SDAGE scheme was drawn up together by the national, regional and département governments and is managed by the ''agence de l'eau'' (water agency).

How it works

The SDAGE serves as a general framework for the development and management of the water of each hydrographic unit, system or

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteris ...

). These are the schémas d'aménagement et de gestion des eaux (SAGE), that is water resource development and management outlines. The aquifer and the hydro-electric and recreational uses of water in the

Ain Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where ...

valley compose a clear example of a site where a coordinated approach could be productive. However, the ''schéma'' is flexible enough to include specific needs as for example, that of

Artois Artois ( ; ; nl, Artesië; English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras (Dutch: ''Atrecht'') ...

- Picardy, which is concerned specifically with the former mining basin of the Nord and Pas-de-Calais

départements A department (, ) is an administrative or political division in several countries. Departments are the first-level divisions of 11 countries, nine in the Americas and two in Africa. An additional 10 countries use departments as second-level div ...

and the consequences of past and current exploitation of the région's

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

External links

The law of 3 January 1992
in French {{DEFAULTSORT:Schema directeur d'amenagement et de gestion des eaux Water law Law of France Water in France Water management