Today, the water that flows from the taps of the inhabitants of Beauvais (Oise) is drinkable, but non-compliant. “We have captures concerned by metabolitesindicates Philippe Van Walleghem, vice-president at the Agglo du Beauvaisis in charge of sanitation. The subject must be addressed.» A pesticide metabolite is a molecule resulting from the degradation of an active substance, whether by biological or physico-chemical means. To avoid this, work is carried out upstream with farmers, in particular. Resource protection actions are carried out at the level of drilling in Canada’s water body. This is the preventative part. The curative part is expensive.
More than 14 million euros will be invested by the Beauvais urban community – financed to the tune of 5.8 million euros by the Water Agency – to build a drinking water treatment plant. This will be located at the exit of the town, to go towards Goincourt, rue de Pentemonton land made available by the city of Beauvais and the department. It will be managed by Veolianew public service delegate (DSP) since 2024.
The water will be treated with activated carbon
“The factory will be quite large, there is the entire population of Beauvais to serve», notes Philippe Van Walleghem. Initially, 900 m3 of water will be treated every hour, fourteen hours a day. “The objective will be to treat 12,000 m3 of water per daycalculates the vice-president. We are a little below in terms of consumption. But the factory is designed to accommodate an increase in consumption.»
The water comes from five boreholes: four at the Canada water body, one located in Auneuil (the Friancourt source). Currently, it ends its journey in a reservoir located in the city center of Beauvais where simple chlorination is carried out before being redistributed on the network. It will therefore be necessary to transport the water from the reservoir to the factory via large pipes under Avenue Jean-Mermoz. The water will then be stored in a 400 m3 retention tank, then treated in the plant with activated carbon. It will then be passed through a sand filter, chlorinated, stored and redistributed. With the aim of reducing the metabolite content to 0.1 per liter.
Avenue Jean-Mermoz closed for two and a half months
Such a project will obviously cause disruption. Since February 13, the part near the future factory on rue de Rouen has been neutralized on one track. This will be the case until February 14. Rue des Alouettes, for its part, was closed to traffic from January 13 to 24. Avenue Jean-Mermoz, near the prefecture, will be reduced to one lane in each direction from February 3 to 21. And will be closed to traffic between the intersection of rue de la Trépinière and the Spontex factory from February 10 to April 25, i.e. two and a half months.
In total, a little more than three months of work are scheduled on the roads in western Beauvais. “The price of water is pricelesscomments Franck Pia, mayor of Beauvais. And I prefer that we hit a big blow and that it is difficult for three months rather than having work that lasts a very long time with traffic on one lane.»
Next will be construction of the factory, which will begin in April. Traffic will be reorganized at the intersection for the duration of the work. Delivery of the factory is scheduled for October 2026. Other factories like this will soon see the light of day in Luchy (for €800,000) then to Crèvecoeur-le-Grand (for 1.5 million euros).
An investment visible on invoices
This investment did not go unnoticed on the water bills of Beauvais residents, who saw theThe price of water will rise by more than 30% in 2024. Because to the construction of these factories is added the harmonization of prices in the thirteen municipalities concerned: Beauvais, Litz, La Rue-Saint-Pierre, La Neuville-en-Hez, Bresles, Haudivillers, Nivillers, Luchy, Auchy-la -Montagne, Francastel, Crèvecoeur-le-Grand, Muidorge and Rotangy. “Rural communities were more expensive than Beauvaisexplains Caroline Cayeux, president of the urban community. The objective is to have a single price in the thirteen municipalities of the basin.»
In 2025, the rate will continue to increase, but less than in 2024. The social rate will remain in place: the first fifteen cubic meters are at a rate of €0.15 per cubic meter. And water vouchers have been set up by Veolia.
