- Water supply and sanitation in France
Costs and affordability
In the year 2005
* 46 % of water and sanitation tariffs were linked to water treatment and distribution;
* 37 % were linked to wastewater collection and treatment;
* 17 % corresponded to fees and taxes. [ [http://www.cieau.com/toutpubl/sommaire/texte/7/f71.htm Centre de l'Information sur l'Eau CIEAU] ]Fees are destined to the six water agencies at the basin level mentioned above. Taxes include a water consumption tax and
VAT .According to a study by the consulting firm BIPE drawing on national statistics the share of household expenditures devoted to water and sewer bills was 0.8% and the average annual water and sewer bill was 374 Euro "per household" in 2005. [ BIPE, quoted in [http://www.cieau.com/toutpubl/sommaire/texte/7/f71.htm Centre de l'Information sur l'Eau CIEAU] ]
Investment
Investments in water supply and sanitation were estimated at 5.6 billion Euro in 2007. [ [http://cms.sictiam.com/cms/30_adm06/upload/Gestion%20de%20leau.pdf Alain Tiret, Fédération ProfessionNelle des Entreprises de l'Eau, 2008, p. 10] ]
In 2003 the Association of French Departments estimated that the renewal of the water supply distribution infrastructure alone would require investments of 53 million Euro from 2004 to 2015 to replace 535,000km of pipes (about 65% of the entire network). This corresponds to an average of 4.4 billion Euro per year or 80 Euro/capita/year. [ [http://www.senat.fr/rap/l02-215-2/l02-215-262.html Sénat:La qualité de l'eau et assainissement en France] , quoting: Evaluation IFEN - Les données de l'environnement - décembre 2001 - Étude de l'Association des départements de France (ADF) - mars 2002.]
Financing
Investments are financed through internal revenue generation, debt and contributions from France six Basin Agencies. The latter in turn finance themselves through charges for water abstraction and wastewater discharge by utilities and industries.
In rural areas, investment subsidies are available from the National Fund for the Development of Water Supply ("Fonds National pour le Développement des Adductions d’Eau", FNDAE) [ http://www.fndae.fr/index.htm Fonds National pour le Développement des Adductions d’Eau (FNDAE)] This fund, created in 1954, is funded by a surcharge on all water bills (55% of funding) and by a share in the revenues of a public agency in charge of organizing gambling, the Pari Mutuel Urbain (45%). The FNDAE has an annual budget of 145m Euro. It is managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and its departmental branches.
Efficiency (Water losses)
According to a study commissioned by the German water industry association BGW water losses in the distribution network in France have been estimated at an average 26 percent, compared to only 7 percent in Germany, 19 percent in England/Wales and 29 percent in Italy [ Metropolitan Consulting Group: VEWA - Vergleich europaeischer Wasser- und Abwasserpreise, p. 4 of the executive summary [http://www.bgw.de/pdf/0.1_resource_2006_6_12_4.pdf] ] The study states that its methodology allows for an accurate comparison, including water used to flush pipes and for firefighting. This is consistent with the International Water Association's definition of
non-revenue water , which includes authorized non-metered consumption such as for flushing and firefighting.According to a 2002 study by the Association of French Departments, non-revenue water was actually slightly higher and stood at 28%. [ [http://www.senat.fr/rap/l02-215-2/l02-215-262.html Sénat:La qualité de l'eau et assainissement en France] , quoting: Evaluation IFEN - Les données de l'environnement - décembre 2001 - Étude de l'Association des départements de France (ADF) - mars 2002. Non-revenue water is one minus "rendement" or 100%-72%=28%. ]
See also
*
EU water policy References
External links
* [http://www.cieau.com/accueil.htm Centre d'Information sur l'Eau] , a not-for-profit organization set up by the major private water companies in France to provide better informatin to consumers on water
* [http://www.fp2e.org/page.php?lg=fr&rub=01 Fédération professionnelle des entreprises de l'eau]
* [http://www.fondation-igd.org/ Institut de la Gestion Déléguée]
* [http://www.fnccr.asso.fr/ Fédération Nationale des Collectivités Concédantes et en Régie (FNCCR)]
* [http://www.partenariat-francais-eau.fr/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=182 partenariat français pour l'eau]
* [http://www.onema.fr/ Office national de l’eau et des milieux aquatiques] French private water companies* [http://www.veoliawater.com/ Veolia Environnement] (ex-Compagnie Générale des Eaux)
* [http://www.suez-environnement.com/en/l_eau SUEZ Environnement] (ex- [http://www.lyonnaise-des-eaux.fr Compagnie Lyonnaise des Eaux] )
* [http://www.saur.com SAUR]
* [http://www.alteau.fr Alteau] , a regional operator with its main areas of operation in theRhône-Alpes and Centre-Auvergne
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