The different types of aid from the agency

regional authorities, industrialists, farmers, associations ...) heading up actions to improve water and aquatic environment quality and optimize water resource management. This aid comes from the fees paid by water users on the basis of the “polluter-pays” and “user-pays” principle.

FINANCIAL AID PROVIDED FROM THE “SAVE WATER!” ACTION PROGRAM

The agency provides financial aid as part of its 6-year action programs to provide support for the application of SDAGE priorities, European Directives and national orientations, in the Rhone-Mediterranean and Corsica basins.  These programs are drawn up on the basis of consultation, targeting finances towards priority actions to improve water and aquatic environment quality and management of the quantities of water available in the Rhone-Mediterranean and Corsica basins. An overall 6-year budget is defined.

This aid is used to fund research and works and contributes, for example, to upgrading sewage stations, encouraging territorial adaptation to climate change, saving water, recovering water quality for priority drinking water collections, restoring the natural functioning of rivers and promoting biodiversity...

€3.8 BnIs the agency budget for the “Save Water!” action program for the period 2013-2018, including €3.1 billion devoted to aid.

CALL FOR PROJECTS

Over and above traditional program aid, the water agency grants advantageous financial aid through the call for projects to accelerate the implementation of operations targeting important new issues.  These calls for projects have specific budgets allocated for a limited period. To benefit from this aid, an application form must be submitted within the appropriate deadline and be selected by the agency on the basis of the relevance of the project proposed, in the light of the objectives of the call for projects.

SEWAGE SYSTEM PERFORMANCE BONUSES

The agency encourages treatment system managers to improve the performance of their plants through the payment of bonuses. The latter support the regulation, with the aim of maximum limitation of pollution discharges into the natural environment.

The bonuses, which are a special form of annualised aid for the operation of sewage services, are allocated:

  • to the project leaders of collective treatment systems on the basis of the original domestic pollution eliminated. The amount of the bonus varies in line with the sewage yields, the regulatory compliance of the sewage station, the collection system, the implementation of auto-surveillance and sludge elimination methods;

  • to non-collective treatment services, based on the efficiency of their control of non-collective treatment facilities.

In addition, since 2015, collective and non-collective public sector treatment services receiving bonuses may receive additional aid based on the information collected by the National Observatory of Public Sector Water and Sanitation Services (SISPEA portal).