Nine intermunicipalities from the Verdon watershed designated their new representatives to the Verdon Local Water Commission (CLE). The prefect of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence officially installed the new assembly, which then proceeded to elect its Board members. Laurence Dépieds-Matheron was elected president.
During the meeting, Jacques Espitalier, president of the CLE since 2008, delivered a heartfelt message of thanks to Bernard Clap, president of the Park, as well as to the elected officials and partners of the CLE, including the Water Agency, state services, EDF, and SCP. Under the Prefect's guidance, the elections for the new board appointed Jean Mazzoli and Claude Bondil as vice-presidents, and Stéphane Laval as an elected member.
For the users' college, EDF and SCP share a seat, as do the Var Fishing Federation and AGEVV. The sub-prefect of Castellane and the Water Agency represent the state college. The new president aims to strengthen the CLE's consultation capacity to make the best decisions for the territory's future.
The CLE also validated the Contrat Rivière 3 (Verdon River Contract 3), the result of months of consultation, which will be submitted to funders in the coming weeks. This contract represents an investment of 58 million euros by 2029 for water and climate in the Verdon watershed, covering 125 actions over three years.
The Verdon watershed covers 69 municipalities across 4 departments. The CLE steers the water policy defined in the water management and planning scheme (SAGE). The Verdon River Contract 3 focuses on four orientations: water quality (€27.7 million), water resources (€23.0 million), aquatic and wetland environments (€5.3 million), and animation and awareness (€2.4 million).
