"Historical drought", "Dry Verdon", "Disturbing images"... Last summer, the worrying drought hitting France and in particular the gorges and lakes of the Verdon, straddling the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and the Var (one of the 4 departments currently placed on heightened drought alert) was in the headlines.
With before/after photos, media, social networks... deplored the low water levels and the cancellations of nautical activities, causing a drop in attendance in this area yet subject to overtourism, in particular its 35 km of vertiginous gorges dug into the pre-Alpine limestone.
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What about this summer?
The question is already being asked as global warming disrupts this winter, already marked by an unprecedented drought and 32 days without real rain counted in February by Météo France.
A sad record.
Before understanding what really happened last summer and examining the consequences that tourism professionals draw from it, it is necessary to look at the natural functioning of this area famous in particular for the largest canyon in Europe.
The Verdon river (more than 165 kilometres) has its source in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, between the Allos pass and the Trois Évêchés massif, at 2325 meters above sea level, and ends its course in the Durance .
It is fed by several tributaries, such as the Rouvet and the Bau to the north and the Jabron and the Artuby, a partly underground river, to the south.
The various gorges that the Verdon crosses are connected by reservoirs: Castillon, Chaudanne, Sainte-Croix, Quinson and Esparron.
The course of the Verdon and the lakes are dotted with EDF dams, fed by melting snow and precipitation, which meet three uses, hydroelectric, agricultural irrigation and drinking water supply, and tourist development, especially during the summer period.
In July and August, two weekly water releases are organized on Tuesdays and Fridays and, from the Castillon and Chaudanne dams, maintain the natural course of the Verdon between Castellane and the Sainte-Croix dam.
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"Many other activities" practicable in case of drought
Rafting, canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding, aquatic hiking... Many activities are usually practiced along the course of the Verdon each summer.
AdobeStock/ThomasLENNE
Last summer, the drought forced EDF to ignore these water releases, preventing activities in certain places.
Nicolas Soulle, of Location Nautic Verdon, which rents canoes, kayaks, electric boats, pedal boats and stand up paddle between the lakes of Quinson and Esparron from April to November, deplores a misunderstanding.
“
The Verdon is a very spread out canyon: we must, already, distinguish the upper from the middle and the lower Verdon.
And, within each, all the recesses that exist there.
What has not been said at all is that, last summer, there were still a lot of places where water activities were possible!
Most people have made a generalization based on Lake Sainte-Croix.
In the lower Verdon, for example, we had water, we
".
The same generality was made about nautical activities, affirms William Michel, president of the professional union of white waters of the Verdon: “
Certainly, rafting was no longer possible and access to the gorges by canoe and kayak either.
But, on and around the lakes, a lot of aquatic activities or not, such as aquatic hiking for example, were always practicable
”.
Despite the adaptation of professionals and many possible activities,
the "announcement effect
" deplored by Nicolas Soulle has had the consequence that "
all customers who booked, whether they were regulars or not, were convinced that there was no water in the Verdon.
Some people in my family even thought I had closed up shop!
We had a lot of cancellations
.
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“We are prepared”
Last year, tourism professionals suffered numerous cancellations which they attribute to the media coverage of the drought in the region.
AdobeStock/ThomasLENNE
So what to expect this summer?
Nicolas Soulle concedes that there has been little snow and little rain and fears a new media frenzy: “
The first customers are already calling us to find out if there will be water.
Moreover, compared to previous years, we have fewer reservations
”.
But he remains optimistic: “
Navigation is quite possible!
We're launching the boats next week, we're ready to welcome people from April 1st.
Currently, there are fifteen meters deep in the gorge
.
And, if the winter scarcity continues until this summer, "
we will bet on aquatic hikes, the descent of canyons, activities on paddle-type lakes...
" enumerates William Michel.
"
With the experience of last year, we are prepared
”.
They hope for the return of tourists and assure it: yes, activities will be there in the Verdon this summer.
Elisabeth Gaglio, from La Ferme de Castellane campsite, located a few kilometers from Lake Chaudanne, is preparing to open in April and will welcome visitors until September.
She also suffered several cancellations during the previous season.
Recognizing that “
certain activities such as rafting can be impacted
” by the drought, she underlines that, if necessary, many activities are practicable: “
Aquarando, canyoning, canoeing, hiking, Via Ferrata, paragliding, quad… There are some really something for everyone.
We will always be able to welcome tourists in good conditions and offer them various and numerous activities.
.
Despite everything, William Michel knows it: droughts are “
a real question that we are going to have to ask ourselves.
»
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