On 30 January I was driving along the Dordogne when I suddenly realised that there was something quite different. The river was almost empty! There had been a drop of water of up to 3 meters in places, leaving the sides of the river exposed, boats hanging from their moorings - in mid air, interesting grottos and river bank bank caves revealed, tree roots grasping into open air. What a strange sight!
Upon closer inspection, it transpired that one of the gates at the EDF (Electricité de France) barrage at Tuilières had collapsed and thus the sudden 'loss' of water upstream.
It seems that the EDF had committed to spending 2 million euros on the maintenance of this barrage, but had failed to do so. They were also supposed to have analysed the risks involved in the possible failure of these gates, and again failed to do so. Well, it turned out that the 'risks' were realized : Imagine 5 million cubic meters of water, sediment and mud escaping suddenly from behind a 12 meter high wall, a large body of water mass emptying out in a couple of hours, a tidal wave of two meters which comes down on you, a water flow 100 meters wide washing over the river banks, thousands upon thousands of dead fish, public pathways washed away and all fishing and boating on an important river stopeed indefinitely.... Yes, the disaster was huge for fauna and flora alike.
The question being asked by angry boatsmen and fishermen and the people who live on the banks of the river is
"What value do you put on the livelihood of the fishermen, on the unique ecosystem of this river valley, on our safety in relation to the savings you made in the 'analyses of the risks'?"
So -- to show our anger and to make clear our demands, a few hundred of us marched on Sunday, 25 February 2006, from the town hall of Sainte-Capraise Lalinde to the barrage of Tuilières.
Our demands were simple:
An independent inspection of the condition of the barrage - the inspectors providing proof of their qualifications and efficiency.
Regular maintenance of the barrage gates
That the free movement of fish be assured during the inspections
That a regular supervision of the site be put into place by people whose credentials are public knowledge
That if the barrage is found to be unsafe, it be completely removed - as has been done with other industrial equipment which is older than 100 years.
That, should it remain, it be fitted with the means by which migratory fish may have free movement, according to the law.
For all those who wanted to stay after the successful demonstration, there was a delicious 'casse-croute' meal put on where everyone could talk about other barrages (the bain of a fisherman's life!), swop information about good fishing spots, fly-fishing stories and just generally the good life in the Dordogne!
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