Dried Out
Drop in for a natter about anything French related.-
Veem
- Posts: 1691
- Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2021 7:00 pm
- Location: Near Confolens in Charente
Dried Out
I went out to lunch in La Rochefoucauld with a friend yesterday. Afterwards, we strolled over to the river bank to have a look and found the Tardoire bone dry. I've seen the water level low before, and although I don't keep a constant eye on it, I've never seen it as a dried river bed before. There was one small shallow puddle close to the weir but otherwise, not a drop for as far as the eye could see. I dread to think how many fish have died.
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Blaze
- Posts: 5473
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2021 9:06 pm
- Location: Ille et Villaine (35)
Dried Out
Local news last night showed the plight of a farmer who produces bio milk in inland Brittany. He is halfway through his winter feed as he has no grass left for his cattle. He said he's going to be forced to give up being bio as he'll have to buy in non-bio silage for the winter.
At the other end of the scale, there are areas that suffer from terrible flooding. I have often wondered why in this day and age water from some of these areas cannot be piped from one area to another. For example, could pipes not be buried alongside motorways or railway lines ? They manage to bury cabling and gas pipes, so why not large water drainage pipes ? Obviously pumping systems would need to be installed as water likes to flow downhill ! Could the railways be used to transport water pumped from flood areas ? Or are these questions incredibly naïve ??
The creation of the méga bassines by farmers is being fought against as they will not allow the water table levels to rise naturally over the winter thus affecting biodiversity though I can see why farmers want them. These are generally in areas where farmers have grubbed up all hedges and trees and which will dry out much more quickly ....
At the other end of the scale, there are areas that suffer from terrible flooding. I have often wondered why in this day and age water from some of these areas cannot be piped from one area to another. For example, could pipes not be buried alongside motorways or railway lines ? They manage to bury cabling and gas pipes, so why not large water drainage pipes ? Obviously pumping systems would need to be installed as water likes to flow downhill ! Could the railways be used to transport water pumped from flood areas ? Or are these questions incredibly naïve ??
The creation of the méga bassines by farmers is being fought against as they will not allow the water table levels to rise naturally over the winter thus affecting biodiversity though I can see why farmers want them. These are generally in areas where farmers have grubbed up all hedges and trees and which will dry out much more quickly ....
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Hotrodder
- Posts: 3323
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2021 8:31 pm
- Location: Brittany 22
Dried Out
The solutions you suggeest may have merit, but the first problem to address is who will foot the bill, and how will they profit from the investment? Its always about money. Those who have the most are never satisfied.
On my headstone it will say: Please switch off mobile phones. I'm trying to get some sleep.
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exile
- Posts: 2686
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2021 9:57 pm
- Location: Auvergne Rhone Alpes
Dried Out
I have tried and failed to track down the costs of the Tyne Tees water project opened almost 50 years ago - part of the Kielder Water project. I do remember the costs as being far from trivial. The tunnel, albeit the longest in the UK at 17.5 miles, is hardly long enough to solve France's water problems.
Our own village has had a 20km supplementary supply installed in the last decade. Simple black plastic pipe installed in a narrow trench, it supplies 30m cubed per day so hardly going to water a large agricultural area. We are but a small mountain commune. To have real supply from one area to another you would need much bigger pipes. Tyne Tees had tunnels about the size of the London Tube tunnels - 6 of them in parallel.
Our own village has had a 20km supplementary supply installed in the last decade. Simple black plastic pipe installed in a narrow trench, it supplies 30m cubed per day so hardly going to water a large agricultural area. We are but a small mountain commune. To have real supply from one area to another you would need much bigger pipes. Tyne Tees had tunnels about the size of the London Tube tunnels - 6 of them in parallel.