strongly impacted the agricultural, animal farming and energy sectors. Its impact on
agriculture was comparable, in its severity, to the 1976 drought (Vidal et al. 2008,
2010). To cope with this drought, the French Ministry of Agriculture provided several
hundred million euros in financial assistance to farmers under the national guarantee
fund, specifically dedicated to agricultural disasters.
6.2.2 Water Management in France
France is divided into administrative regions and departments. For water, the territory is divided into twelve hydrographic districts each having its own river basin
committee (Comité de Bassin) composed of representatives of the local authorities
(40 %), water users (40 %) and State representatives (20 %). The committee
establishes guidelines according to the European Water Framework Directive
(WFD) and national water policies (Water Law since 1992, updated in 2006 under
the LEMA law name). The guidelines are driven by the river basin management
plan (SDAGE, Schéma Directeur d’Aménagement et de Gestion des Eaux), the
six-year catchment-wide development and environmental plan promoted by water
agencies (Agences de l’eau) (Fig. 6.1).
At the national level, the central government is in charge of all regulation issues
(e.g. authorizations for water abstractions and pollution, monitoring and control of
implementation by water users). The Water Management Direction and the French
Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy are responsible for
defining water management policies, including drought control and drought management plans for areas sensitive to droughts.
Within the territory, the decision and implementation of water regulation and
drought control policies relies strictly on the Prefects of the departments, who have
represented the central government at this level since 1982. Prefects are empowered to
issue, implement, coordinate and control general and individual bylaws (Arrêtés) on
water use, and, particularly, on drought control, through water bans, determined with
the local support of mayors of municipalities and regional ministry entities (DREAL).
As concrete operational management is conducted at a river basin scale, local
initiatives have an increasing role in water management in France. While the water
agencies manage very large river basins, local issues are managed by groups of
local authorities around a river section—the public body called EPTB
(Etablissement Public Territorial de Bassin), which is similar to the ‘waterboards’
in the Netherlands. An EPTB, status established in 1997, can act in three areas:
hydraulics (low-flow management, flood prevention, water production), environment (actions for migratory fish, maintenance of the banks, basin observatories) and
local development (actions towards natural and cultural heritage). EPTBs have the
status of interdepartmental institutions or joint local authorities. Their funding is
provided by their own members. EPTBs are usually the coordinators of the SAGE
(Schéma d’Aménagement et de Gestion de l’Eau), which is the water management
plan at the sub-catchment level. SAGE is a non-constrained structure that acts
6 The Governance Context of Drought Policy and Pilot Measures …
113
agriculture was comparable, in its severity, to the 1976 drought (Vidal et al. 2008,
2010). To cope with this drought, the French Ministry of Agriculture provided several
hundred million euros in financial assistance to farmers under the national guarantee
fund, specifically dedicated to agricultural disasters.
6.2.2 Water Management in France
France is divided into administrative regions and departments. For water, the territory is divided into twelve hydrographic districts each having its own river basin
committee (Comité de Bassin) composed of representatives of the local authorities
(40 %), water users (40 %) and State representatives (20 %). The committee
establishes guidelines according to the European Water Framework Directive
(WFD) and national water policies (Water Law since 1992, updated in 2006 under
the LEMA law name). The guidelines are driven by the river basin management
plan (SDAGE, Schéma Directeur d’Aménagement et de Gestion des Eaux), the
six-year catchment-wide development and environmental plan promoted by water
agencies (Agences de l’eau) (Fig. 6.1).
At the national level, the central government is in charge of all regulation issues
(e.g. authorizations for water abstractions and pollution, monitoring and control of
implementation by water users). The Water Management Direction and the French
Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy are responsible for
defining water management policies, including drought control and drought management plans for areas sensitive to droughts.
Within the territory, the decision and implementation of water regulation and
drought control policies relies strictly on the Prefects of the departments, who have
represented the central government at this level since 1982. Prefects are empowered to
issue, implement, coordinate and control general and individual bylaws (Arrêtés) on
water use, and, particularly, on drought control, through water bans, determined with
the local support of mayors of municipalities and regional ministry entities (DREAL).
As concrete operational management is conducted at a river basin scale, local
initiatives have an increasing role in water management in France. While the water
agencies manage very large river basins, local issues are managed by groups of
local authorities around a river section—the public body called EPTB
(Etablissement Public Territorial de Bassin), which is similar to the ‘waterboards’
in the Netherlands. An EPTB, status established in 1997, can act in three areas:
hydraulics (low-flow management, flood prevention, water production), environment (actions for migratory fish, maintenance of the banks, basin observatories) and
local development (actions towards natural and cultural heritage). EPTBs have the
status of interdepartmental institutions or joint local authorities. Their funding is
provided by their own members. EPTBs are usually the coordinators of the SAGE
(Schéma d’Aménagement et de Gestion de l’Eau), which is the water management
plan at the sub-catchment level. SAGE is a non-constrained structure that acts
6 The Governance Context of Drought Policy and Pilot Measures …
113