Groundwater in France: Resources, Use and Management Issues

Abstract

This chapter describes the status of groundwater resources in France. French geology consists of a large variety of rock types, resulting in very different types of aquifers ranging from sedimentary basins, alluvial plains, limestone rocks, and crystalline rocks. Today, groundwater resources represent about 66% of Frances’s domestic water supply, 31% of industrial water supply and 37% of total water use in agriculture. According to the European Water Framework Directive, about 33% of groundwater bodies were considered in good chemical status, and 10% were considered in a bad quantitative status in 2013. The main quality issues for groundwater are related to diffuse contamination by agricultural practices (i.e. fertilizers and pesticides). France has not yet faced the extreme cases of aquifer depletion experienced in many other countries. However, associated groundwater dependant ecosystems can be affected by groundwater abstraction. The long term challenges for groundwater management in France are related to the decrease of recharge due to climate change, sea level rise along the coast, and future change in groundwater use. The identified adaptation strategies are (i) new groundwater management policies, (ii) the development of managed aquifer recharge, and (iii) active groundwater management.