Frédéric Martin, the alderman of Vresse in charge of water distribution, is unaware of being the municipality where tap water is the most expensive in Belgium. But the infrastructure of the municipal distribution network requires significant investments which inevitably have an impact on the price of water, given the obligation of true cost.
+ LIRE | Why such differences in the price of tap water in Wallonia?
Another factor having an impact on the price of water: the many tourists. “From June to the end of September, we have a lot of tourists coming to stay in the town. All the water consumed represents a significant sanitation cost,” adds Frédéric Martin. “But we never had a problem with lack of water. If during the summer, we have put in place restrictions, it is to prevent tourists present in the accommodation from filling up swimming pools just for a weekend. »
Blue gold that Vresse-sur-Semois does not want to sell
Managing its own catchments, its network and its purification represent a cost that the municipal authorities of Vresse intend to assume and not to let this water go to another company. “At the end of the last legislature, the majority planned to sell our network to SWDE. But for my group, it’s not about that. We will keep the water as long as possible. Water is a fundamental source of revenue for municipalities. We realize this with a summer such as the one we have just had: the future oil will be water. »