Each year in France, nearly one fifth of potable water disappears in distribution networks, amounting to at least 480 million cubic meters in 2022. However, these figures are not comprehensive due to reporting methods and missing data, particularly from smaller communities. The largest losses in volume are in urban areas, with the top twenty cities accounting for almost a quarter of the recorded leaks. The city of Nice-Côte d’Azur tops the list with nearly 19 million cubic meters of water lost annually, followed by Paris, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes, Rouen, and Grenoble.
When relating the total volume of water lost to the population served, a different perspective emerges. While the average is 23.5 cubic meters wasted per person per year, there are significant disparities. Some communities have no water lost per resident, while Lescun in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques records 1,144 cubic meters wasted per person annually. The map shows that the highest volumes wasted per inhabitant are in municipalities managing their water distribution independently, rather than within a larger communal group. There are 61 municipalities, six water syndicates, and one community group with losses exceeding 100 cubic meters per person.
A publicized map from the Intercommunalities of France on March 20 highlighted municipal services, with 151 out of 198 water distribution services showing losses exceeding 50% of distributed water. This communication aimed to justify transferring these services to an intercommunal level, which is set to become mandatory by 2026 under the law on the new territorial organization of the Republic. However, there are objections to this transfer, particularly from the Senate, while ambiguous statements from Emmanuel Macron in March 2023 raise concerns about a potential reversal.
The government has directed its efforts towards these communities labeled as “black spots.” President Macron announced in 2023, as part of the “water plan,” the allocation of 180 million euros to address these “significant leaks” in communities losing more than 50% of their water. However, the issue of water losses extends beyond isolated small communities. While not insignificant, the leaks from these 198 distributors only account for 6.7% of the total lost volume in a year – slightly less than the combined losses of the distribution networks in Nice and Paris.
