Aux origines du modèle Français de gestion des réseaux d'eau potable : les canaux de la Siagne et du Loup (1851-1936)

The origins of the management of drinking water and irrigation in France : les canaux de la Siagne et du Loup (1851-1936)

Université de Rouen Jean Paul Haghe, maître de conférences en Géographie, I.U.F.M de l'Académie de Rouen

Auteur de correspondance : haghe@noos.fr

Abstract

This report deals with water management. It examines the structure of how a private/state partnership can carry out the management of water network in the Cannes region for the long term. The municipality of Cannes and seven neighbouring communities took the decision to provide drinking water and water irrigation by deviating the water of the Siagne and Loup rivers (1851). One of the first obstacles was financing the works; where were these communities going to find the necessary capital to construct the first intake network and extension? Then there was the problem as to who would manage network. These questions, still pertient in several communities today, struck us as being important and led us to question the choice of the original model; why had these Alpes Maritimes communities called in a private company to manage a public service and why was a bank (Credit Lyonnais) interested in spite of the set backs that the preceding large private hydraulics company had suffered? (dried-up marshes and irrigation).