Drinking water VS oil: what are the choices in Nonville? Plans for new oil drilling threaten the springs that supply drinking water to 180,000 people in Nonville in Seine-et-Marne. A Debate with Dan Lert, Nathalie Hervé, Clara Sannicolo…
By authorising two new oil wells and extending the concession of Bridge Energies in Nonville (Seine-et-Marne), the French government is sending out a very negative environmental signal. As well as contributing to France’s greenhouse gas emissions, the Nonville drilling project poses a serious threat to the water supply of Paris and the communes of Seine-et-Marne. It threatens the Villeron and Villemer drinking water catchments, which supply 180,000 people in Paris and Seine-et-Marne. There have already been several accidents at the Nonville site, leading to fears of the worst. Pollution of the Lunain, a Natura 2000 river close to the future wells, would have a dramatic impact on biodiversity and water quality, both of which are already under threat from global warming.
Described by Dan Lert, president of Eau de Paris, the public water utility of the Blue Community / Blue City of Paris, as a ‘potential ecological disaster’, the extension of oil drilling at Nonville is the embodiment in Region 77 of a dangerous and misguided policy that prioritises private interests at the expense of water quality, the health of local people, biodiversity and respect for the Paris Agreements.
Participants in the one-hour debate (in French) are:
- Dan Lert, maire-adjoint de Paris
- Jean-François Dupond, FNE 77
- Clara Sannicolo, Réseau Action Climat
- Louis Cofflard, Les amis de la Terre
- Nathalie Hervé, Stop Pétrole – bassin d’Arcachon
- Anouk Jugla, Action Justice Climat
