River basin management of the Ill, France

NWRM

Application scale

River

Performance timescale

Immediate

Area (ha)

12000

Constraints

Partly dams have to be constructed or reinforced, otherwise the risk of severe inundation would not be justifiable. In order to maintain the natural mobility of the river, land of farmers has to be reallocated.

Contractural arrangements

Design contractual arrangement

Arrangement type	Responsibility	Role	Comments	Name
			The project has to pass the autorisation steps of the French Water Law. Moreover it has to be proven that the project is of public utility and of public interest in order to mobilize national funds

Design consultation activity

Activity stage	Key issues	Name	Comments
Implementation phase	This is foreseen in project planning in order to educate the public.	Guide "rights and duties of riparians"

Design land use change

No data

Design authority

Authority type	Role	Name	Comments
Other	Initiation of the measure	Region of Alsace	Next to the initiation of the measures, the region is also responsible for financing
Local water authority	Financing	AERM (Agence de l'eau Rhin-Meuse)	one of the main project financers
Other	Financing	Conseils Généraux du Bas et Haut Rhin	touristic development
Other	Financing	ADEME (Environment and Energy Agency)	Financial support of hydropower projects (deconstruction off barrages, installation of fish passes...)
Other	Other	communes	Maintenance/ development of touristic activities and communal hydropower stations
		syndicats
		communes

Key lessons

This management plan combines classical flood protection measures (construction of dykes, automatisation/optimization of barrages) with NWRM. Since the plan is not fully implemented yet, it is difficult to have information on success (especially quantitative data) and monitoring. However, ecosystem services are taken into account to justify the measures.

Financing difficulties information

Since the project is in the implementation phase, there is no sufficient information.

Success factor(s)

Success factor type	Success factor role	Comments
		Since the project is in the implementation phase, there is no sufficient information.

Financing

Financing type	Comments
EU-funds: Rural development funds	Support of sustainable farming (crop rotation, green cover...).
Local funds	Renovation of dykes, touristic development.
Sub-national funds	Publicity, support of hydropower, touristic development.
Sub-national funds	Renovation of barrages, NWRM, Agro-environmental measures.
National funds	Support of hydropower projects.

Barrier

Barrier type	Barrier role	Comments
		Since the project is in the implementation phase, there is no sufficient information.

Driver

Driver type	Driver role	Comments
Legal obligations	main driver	The good ecological status of the Ill has to be achieved.
Past flooding events	main driver	Due to regular floods in winter and spring there are severe damages on pastures and fields. Valuable agricultural land is lost (approx. 150 ha in 10 years). Agriculture is a very important economic branch with a gross margin of 16 million €
Public pressure	main driver	Flood protection is partly missing for entire villages (Kogenheim 1000 inhabitants). Dykes have weak points and need to be renovated.
Balancing different objectives	secondary driver	Water and terrestrial hiking pathways are missing. Barrages are not passable, and dangerous due to a lack of signalisation. Fishing associations wish a better accessibility to the river.

Financing share type	Share	Comments
		Cannot be said at the moment. The financing partners listed above are potential sources for financing.

Policy description

The flood protection of commuities and fields is partly unsufficient. Due to erosion there is a remarkable loss of usable agricultural surface. Barrages and hydropower plants disturb the sediment transport of the river and are not passable for fish and boats. A natural alluvial forest is often missing and shall be restored for water quality improvement and fight against invasive species.

Quantified objectives

The flood protection for some communities is missing, barrages and hydropower plants are not passable for fish and boats. The mobility of the river shall be preserved without encouraging further erosion. Therefore a land allocation process starts, alluvial forests are planted (68 km) and where possible barrages and bank stabilisations are deconstructed. Moreover, 15 hydraulic annexes are reconnected to the river in order to improve water storage capacity and solve water distribution problems. A discharge rill is constructed to the forest near Colmar in order to inundate the wood during flood events and protect fields and communities.

Part of wider plan

Policy target

Target purpose
Peak-flow reduction
Increase Water Storage
Erosion Control
Improved Biodiversity
Oher Societal Benefits

Policy pressure

No data

Policy area

No data

Policy impact

No data

Policy wider plan

No data

Policy requirement directive

No data

Direct benefits information

During the project the tourism branch is supported by improved water/ terrestrial trekking ways, better recreational spaces (bivouacs, camping, hotel restaurant access).

Ancillary benefits information

Without the management plan, 6.1 - 8 Mio € per year have to be foreseen as costs for floods.

Costs investment

12500000

Costs investment information

10 to 15 million Euros: plantation of forests, land acquisition, dyke renovation.

Costs operation maintenance

No data available

Costs total

25500000

Costs total information

19 to 32 million Euros: Next to NWRMs, construction costs for dykes and improvement of barrages and facilities appear. Moreover, the touristic branch is supported by several projects, and hydropower is encouraged as well.

Compensations annual

2000000

Compensations annual information

Support of farmers by agro-environmental measures (encouragement of green cover, pastures, meadows, crop rotation).

Compensations scheme information

The agricultural compensations made in the context of EU CAP Pillar 2.

Economic costs additional

300000

Information on Economic costs additional

Total costs for publicity

Information on Ecosystem improved biodiversity

Control campaigns for Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed; plantation of alluvial forests (high species diversity due to diverse habitats).

Information on Ecosystem provisioning services

Better efficiency of hydropower plants due to improved sediment balance.

Information on Ecosystem impact climate regulation

No information available

Information on retained water

By reconnecting hydraulic annexes, installing discharge rills to flood forests and reallocation of land neighboring the river, the water retention capacity gets increased.

Information on runoff reduction

This shall be achieved by natural bank stabilisation and deconstruction of old barrages. By purchasing land a "mobility space" for the river shall be guaranteed.

Information on Maintenance baseflow

This shall be achieved by automatisation of barrages and optimized operation.

Information on Restoring hydraulic connections

Connections are restored.

Water quality overall improvements

N/A info

Information on Water quality overall improvements

This shall be achieved by restoring 68 km of alluvial forests next to the Ill.

Soil quality overall soil improvements

N/A info

National Id

France 05 light

Site name

Ill between Colmar and Strasbourg

Summary

Next to the Ill river in Alsace, France, a project has been initiated which combines classical flood protection (e.g. dyke construction) with natural water retention measures (e.g. riparian buffers). The project aims at reducing peak flows, increasing water storage, controling erosion and improving biodiversity. It has been initiated by the Alsace Region.

NUTS Code

Alsace

RBD code

FRC

Transboundary

Data provider

Sabine Tutte, ACTeon

Longitude

7.747882

Latitude

48.583148

EEA core metadata

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