Du patrimoine mondial au peuple de Loire

Building dams, building resistance

Should we build dams or build resistance to them? The protests that grew in the late 1980s put paid to the attempts to wrest control of the river.

In the late 19th century, various dams were built across the Loire and its tributaries for industrial development and electricity generation. Over the 20^th century, more imposing dams were commissioned.

The construction programme for four nuclear power plants hastened the building of the ones at Naussac over a tributary of the Allier (1983), and Villerest sur la Loire (1984). Other major constructions were set to follow, to fully wrest control of the whole of the river’s course. With high water levels thus controlled, floodplains could be urbanised.

The deadly flood that swept through Haute-Loire in September 1980 accelerated the decisions: spearheaded by elected local representatives, the Établissement public d’aménagement de la Loire et de ses affluents (Epala) was established in 1983 to oversee a vast water development programme. Four dams were envisaged: Serre de la Fare on the Loire, Chambonchard on the Cher, and Naussac II and Veurdre on the Allier. The objective: to control high water levels and create water reserves for irrigation and above all for cooling the nuclear power plants.

Developments that go against the tide

On 13 January 1984, Mayor of Tours and former minister Jean Royer was appointed as chief executive of EPALA. On 13 February 1986, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the French State, EPALA and Loire Bretagne water agency.

Land purchases and studies were continuing apace despite warnings from experts, such as the head of the Alluvial Lowlands Institute, which sent a letter to the Junior Minister for the Environment:

“Drawing on our specialist knowledge of alluvial lowlands in Europe, we already know just how severe the loss of such biotopes is [...]. We also have extensive experience regarding development of the Rhine and Danube: in both these regions, the impacts have been extremely negative, not least the decrease in the groundwater level and increase in high water levels.”

A comprehensive impact assessment across the whole of the Loire drainage basin was requested to evaluate and understand the effects of developments in the Loire upstream. This confrontation took both a technical and political turn.