"It's just to make more artificial snow": in La Clusaz, the water reservoir of discord

Yohann Tritz, edited by Yanis Darras 06:13, October 25, 2022

It is an essential financial income for the city of La Clusaz, in Haute-Savoie.

Each year, its ski resorts bring nearly 120 million euros to the village.

So, the creation of this new deduction should make it possible to accentuate these revenues.

The latter will thus make it possible to create artificial snow in winter, but will also help the local population to have additional drinking water.

But to create it, it will be necessary to cut down trees and destroy a piece of forest, provoking the anger of environmental activists and environmental protection associations who are vigorously contesting this project.

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Site occupancy

Proof of this is that several summary proceedings have been filed in court.

So, to oppose the project, environmental activists installed a Zad, occupied 24 hours a day at the very place where the site should be held.

A fierce opposition from associations of which Mountain Wilderness is a part. 

"It's a strong signal sent. It shows that it's all for skiing and resorts, to the detriment of fauna and flora", assures the association's project manager, Vincent Nérinck.

“There are already four reservoirs around the city. A 5th, even if we cover with the fact that it is of public utility with drinking water for the inhabitants, it is just to make more artificial snow. But nobody wants to ski on hard snow like concrete before 10 a.m. and on sand afterwards. Instead, we have to take climate change into account and put in place a transition. There are alternatives, but we don't have not been heard", he continues at the microphone of Europe 1.

A project that has been under consideration for a long time

The associations therefore deplore the lack of dialogue with the local authorities.

An argument challenged by Marie-Louise Donzel, departmental councilor and farmer in La Clusaz, who assures that "the project has been under study for eight years. We held a meeting to explain everything to the population last year. And no one did not come forward. Where were the activists at that time?", she wonders.

And to add: "These are not people from the territory. They must not have read the file. Because for any development destroyed, it is double the development that we will create elsewhere."

For the chosen one, to oppose this hillside restraint is to completely ignore her region.

"It's a lack of respect for the inhabitants, for the ski resort, with all the investments made for years. Does it support the population, and are we going to tell them to stop?" -she. 

From now on, everyone is waiting for the decision of the administrative court which will decide on Tuesday to find out whether the site can start or not.